Everything Will Swallow You

<p><strong>'One of our very best authors ... Very funny, very moving novel'<em> The New World</em></strong></p><p><strong>'Charming</strong> <strong>portrait of friendship and loneliness’ <em>Daily Mail</em></strong></p><p><strong>'Deeply comforting'<em> Guardian</em></strong></p><p><strong>'Funny, inventive and beautifully heart-breaking'<em> Irish Times</em></strong></p><p><strong>Have you ever been curious about how people live when nobody is watching? Have you wondered whether there's more going on than meets the eye?</strong></p><p>Eric and Carl live in Dorset in a small white cottage under the shadow of a big cliff. Eric sells old records and antiques. Carl cooks, cleans and crochets. Nearing seventy, Eric is a lifelong accumulator of obscure objects whose easygoing, chaotic approach to life masks some of the unaddressed sadness of his past. The significantly younger Carl is an old soul who has a sophisticated emotional intelligence and likes swimming, mid-century female novelists, fibre arts and Dolly Parton. If you passed them on a walk, you may not pay them much attention. Most likely you would see Carl’s long floppy ears, tail and fur and mistake him for a dog.</p><p>The story of Eric and Carl's friendship spans twenty-one years: a constant anchor in a changing world. During that time they adopt an eccentric, unlikely gang of fellow travellers. Their wanderings through South West England unfold against a backdrop of lived, local folklore and hints at future apocalypse. All the while, Carl's true nature remains a closely guarded secret.</p><p>Tom Cox's third novel is a rare gem, centred around the importance of friendship, the power of landscape and the joy of accepting the unusual. <em>Everything Will Swallow You</em> will make you think deeply about the place you occupy in the grand scheme of things and give fresh perspectives on how to live and love in the present moment.</p>