Ash before Oak

Ash before Oak is a novel in the form of a fictional journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. Ostensibly a nature diary, chronicling the narrator's interest in the local flora and fauna and the passing of the seasons, Ash before Oak is also the story of a breakdown told slantwise, and of the narrator's subsequent recovery through his reengagement with the world around him. Written in prose that is as precise as it is beautiful, winner of the 2018 Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize, Jeremy Cooper's first novel in over a decade is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty and strangeness of life. Ash before Oak , the winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize, is written in the form of a journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. Ostensibly a nature diary, chronicling the narrators interest in the local flora and fauna and the passing of the seasons, Ash before Oak is also the story of a breakdown told slantwise, and of the narrators subsequent recovery through his re-engagement with the world around him. The title derives from an old country rhyme forecasting rain. Written in prose that is as precise as it is beautiful, Jeremy Coopers first novel in over a decade is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty and strangeness of life. "Written in the form of a journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. Ostensibly a nature diary, chronicling the narrator's interest in the local flora and fauna and the passing of the seasons, Ash before Oak is also the story of a breakdown told slantwise, and of the narrator's subsequent recovery through his re-engagement with the world around him, including a vist to his sister in New Zealand. The title derives from an old country rhyme forecasting rain. Written in prose that is as precise as it is beautiful, Jeremy Cooper's first novel in over a decade is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty and strangeness of life."--Publisher The winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize, Ash Before Oak is a novel in the form of a fictional journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. A mesmerizing exploration of the natural world and depression. Will appeal to fans of nature writing, and fans of Robert Macfarlane and Helen Macdonald.