Winner of the inaugural Northern Book Prize A brilliant writer's debut. Evokes the playfulness of Ali Smith and the mesmeric prose of Jon Fosse. Themes of motherhood and parental ambivalence are a hot topic now, eg books by Sheila Heti, Rachel Cusk and Rivka Galchen. An individual coming to terms with their sexuality Dazzling evocation of the natural world Will appeal to readers of innovative writing such as Deborah Levy, Anakana Schofield, Ali Smith

Ash collects words, climbs trees and swims in a deserted lake with her beloved seven-year-old, Charlie. Bemused by everyday life, she has a rich and singular interior world. Over the course of a relentlessly hot summer, Charlie begins to pull away, and in a desperate attempt to reconnect with her daughter Ash does something unforgivable. As the gulf between them grows, Ash's life begins to slip out of her grasp.Winner of the 2018 Northern Book Prize, Slip of a Fish is a joyously artful and quietly devastating portrait of motherhood, loss and love, in all its kaleidoscopic complexity.