Seascraper

Seascraper is a 2025 novel by British author and lecturer Benjamin Wood. This coming-of-age story follows Thomas Flett, a 20-year old shrimp fisherman who lives with his mother in 1960s Longferry, a fictional town in Northern England. As the lone traditional shrimp fisherman left in town, Thomas lives an isolating and impoverished life while harboring private dreams of becoming a folk singer—and an equally secret crush on his best friend’s sister. Tired of his mundane and grueling routine, Thomas wonders if he could somehow leave Longferry and the only job he’s ever known. When an American film director suddenly arrives in town and offers Thomas a lucrative new opportunity, Thomas feels his expectations for his own life begin to grow. The novel was nominated for the 2025 Booker Prize and explores themes of The Constraints of Inherited Labor, Creative Longing in the Face of Economic Hardship, and The Relationship Between Family, Identity, and Aspiration.

This guide is based on the Kindle edition of this work.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of substance use, addiction, death, animal death, sexual content, mental illness, and cursing.

Plot Summary

In Northern England, a young man named Thomas rises at dawn and prepares to work his horse on the beach as usual. After having breakfast with his mother, with whom he lives, Thomas and his horse set off to the beach, where they arrive at low tide. Now the only traditional shrimp fisherman left in his part of Longferry, Thomas works his horse on the beach, resenting the bleak conditions and mundane, grueling work. After a good catch, he sorts the shrimp, immediately selling it to the local seafood market. 

When he arrives home, Thomas is annoyed to discover his mother has a strange guest, who introduces himself as Mr. Edgar Acheson, an American film producer and director. Though suspicious of this eager stranger, Thomas accepts his offer of £100 in exchange for showing Mr. Acheson some local sights; Thomas may also be included as a background actor in the director’s film. Thomas shows Mr. Acheson some locations for his film, such as Longferry’s decrepit fog bell. As they talk, Thomas privately hopes that their relationship might blossom into a friendship that could help him leave Longferry and create a new life for himself.

Later that day, Thomas meets Mr. Acheson at his hotel and notices that he is more flustered and agitated than he was that morning. The two set off for the foggy, dimming beach where the tide is slowly coming in; Mr. Acheson uses a strange inhaler and drinks from a flask. While on the beach, Mr. Acheson enthuses about the bleak beauty of the place, sketching in charcoal and photographing Thomas and his cart. When he briefly leaves the cart to take a picture, Mr. Acheson disappears in the fog. 

Panicked, Thomas looks and looks, calling and firing a flare. When he leaves his horse and cart to keep looking, Thomas falls into a sinkpit of wet sand, getting stuck. He falls unconscious and has a strange dream in which he meets his biological father and hears his music. When he wakes, Mr. Acheson is rescuing him, dragging him from the pit. The two return safely to town, with Mr. Acheson going to his hotel and Thomas going home to record the song his father taught him in his dream.

Thomas wakes the next morning, satisfied with having recalled the words and melody of his father’s beautiful song. He is not ashamed that his mother has seen his lyrics and guitar lying out; he has stopped being embarrassed about his creative urges, even after his mother reveals that Thomas’s father was not actually a musician, just an educated man with a gift for words and teaching. Thomas rushes back to the hotel to meet Mr. Acheson again and is surprised to find an elderly woman in his room instead. She reveals that she is Mr. Acheson’s mother and that his plan to make a film is a delusion. In reality, Mr. Acheson is addicted to drugs and no longer has any Hollywood connections or funding. She warns Thomas that even the £100 check will bounce. Thomas is shocked and tries to defend Mr. Acheson’s character, remembering his kindness. Though Mr. Acheson’s mother disagrees with Thomas, she is touched by his comments and allows him to wave goodbye to her son. 

Though deflated about the abrupt end to the friendship and opportunity, Thomas arranges for him and his friend Harry to drive Mr. Acheson’s car back to Mr. Acheson’s mother’s house and is excited to leave Longferry for the first time. He walks to Harry’s house to tell him the news but instead visits with Harry’s sister, Joan, whom Thomas is in love with. They have a good conversation, and Thomas works up the courage to play his song, “Seascraper,” to her on Harry’s guitar. She loves the song, and Thomas plans to ask her out on a date and continue making music.