The Unwinding

Longlisted for the 2021 Kate Greenaway Medal'A quiet masterpiece . . . a love story, a hope story, a story out of time, out of stricture, out of the narrow artificial bounds by which we try to contain the wild wonderland of reality because we are too frightened to live wonder-stricken' Maria Popova, Brain Pickings'The tales feel like half-remembered dreams, peopled with fairytale characters and magnificent creatures' Rebecca Armstrong, i Paper BestBooks of 2020'A powerful spell book to make the sleepless fall into slumber and the agitated calm' i Paper'A lyrical and enchanting collection' ScotsmanThis book is not meant to be read from cover to cover. It is a book for dreamers. Slight of word, rich of image, its purpose is to ease the soul.The paintings between these covers were worked in the between times, an unwinding of the soul, when the pressures of work were too much. Dreams and wishes are the inspiration at times like this. Threaded through the curious world of The Unwinding are words, slight and lyrical. Their aim is to set the reader’s mind adrift from the troubles of our times, into peaceful harbours where imagination can stretch, where quiet reflection can bring peace.The Unwinding is designed to be a companion, a talisman to be turned to again and again and a place of respite from an increasingly frantic and complex world.