A successful man’s downfall leads him to a hidden world of survival in this “compelling, chilling investigation into the dark instincts of masculinity” (The Guardian, UK). When Adam loses his high-status advertising job, it shatters his self-image, as well as the fragile equilibrium of his life. Fleeing his debtors, Adam abandons his family and takes to sleeping rough in a local park. But just as Adam is about to truly hit bottom, he is befriended by a fraternity of homeless men. Joining their self-sufficient society, Adam soon learns to appreciate the tough new regimen: secret crop cultivation, daily yoga—and on Sundays, hand-to-hand combat. It’s a paradise—until winter comes. Starving and exhausted, Adam decides to return to comforts of his old life. But the men have other plans for him. Now, in order to survive, Adam is forced to confront his own wildness within.
The new novel from the Guardian Not the Booker-shortlisted author of Real Monsters
Longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016
'Compelling, chilling investigation into the dark instincts of masculinity' -- Guardian
'...as intoxicating as home-distilled hooch.' -- Stephen May, Costa Novel Award-shortlisted author
'...inventive, finely written and disturbing.'-- Jim Crace, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author
When we moved into the wild, the wild moved into us.
When a troubled advertising salesman loses his job, the fragile wall between his public and private personas comes tumbling down. Fleeing his debtors, Adam abandons his family and takes to sleeping rough in a local park, where a fraternity of homeless men befriend him.
As the months pass, Adam gradually learns to appreciate the tough new regime, until winter arrives early, threatening to turn his paradise into a nightmare.
Starving, exhausted and sick of the constant infighting, Adam decides to return to his family. The men, however, have other plans for him. With time running out, and the stakes raised unbearably high, Adam is forced to question whether any of us can truly escape the wildness within.
