SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 WAINWRIGHT BOOK PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 POLARI FIRST BOOK AWARD
'This is a book to get lost in . . . A disturbing trauma narrative, it's also a work of delightfully low, pants-dropping comedy, and a learned meditation' Guardian
'A brave and beautiful book, electrifying on sex and nature, religion and love. No one is writing quite like this' Olivia Laing
'Turns the nature memoir genre upon its head . . . is a book full of poetry and pathos. More than anything it is a bold and beautiful study of how to be a true modern man' Ben Myers, Spectator
At a crossroads in his life, the demons Luke Turner has been battling since childhood are quick to return - depression and guilt surrounding his identity as a bisexual man, experiences of sexual abuse, and the religious upbringing that was the cause of so much confusion. It is among the trees of London's Epping Forest where he seeks refuge. Away from a society that struggles to cope with the complexities of masculinity and sexuality, Luke begins to accept the duality that has provoked so much unrest in his life - and reconcile the expectations of others with his own way of being.
"Turns the nature memoir genre upon its head . . . OUT OF THE WOODS is a book full of poetry and pathos. More than anything it is a bold and beautiful study of how to be a true modern man" - THE SPECTATOR
"This is a book to get lost in...A disturbing trauma narrative, it's also a work of delightfully low, pants-dropping comedy, and a learned meditation" - GUARDIAN
"Truly beautiful prose... the candour and insightful scholarship Turner brings to his subject make it a very worthwhile read" - LITERARY REVIEW
"Turner mixes vulnerability with the sort of insight that comes only through a complex honesty" - IRISH TIMES
"Honest, haunting and moving, OUT OF THE WOODS envelops you in its leafy, sprawling pages, and squeezes tight. Captivating and poignant" - ATTITUDE
"Achieves that tricky balance of feeling both deeply personal and totally universal" - ESQUIRE
"A compulsive and beautifully written debut: all those who loved THE OUTRUN should read it" - Editor's Choice, THE BOOKSELLER
"An important and moving memoir about the struggles of being bisexual . . . His brave, often poetic prose encompasses the pastoral, the confessional, and the erotic" - CHURCH TIMES