Gaining Ground: 'A life-changing book' (Samantha Harvey)
Jul 2026 · Faber & Faber
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*'A LITERARY SENSATION: THE MUST-READ OF THE SUMMER' ( OBSERVER)*
'Thrillingly original . . . A landmark' Anne Enright
'An intricately, perfectly mapped journey into self-liberation . . . It will stay with me for the rest of my days' Samantha Harvey
'One of the great novels of the twentieth century . . . Absolutely stunning' Max Porter
'Wildly original . . . Beneath the radical disquiet is a beautiful hymn to the hearts and minds of women' Sarah Hall
I swear I loved them all, and I did the best I could. And then I left them, left all of it.
Abra has a perfect-seeming life as a wife and mother: until one day, she walks away, leaving only a note asking her family not to look for her.
In a woodland cabin, her new life alone begins. There are no mirrors, no clocks, no memories: just the squirrels breathing in the forest, and silence of vegetables growing.
Years later, a young woman arrives, and the past-flashes begin. Daughter? A strange word. Is this her? And what will this mean?
Joan Barfoot's Gaining Ground is a both a provocative meditation on living on your own terms and an exquisite work of art. It calls to anybody who has ever wanted to escape - who has asked what it costs to be wild, to be sane, to be free.
So damn extraordinary.
This book meant everything to me.
It quietly changed the path of my life.
An instant all-time favorite.
I loved reading this book . . . A story of impossible bravery, survival and reconciliation.
A beautiful story about a woman who puts her own happiness in life above her maternal duties.
One of the most influential novels I have ever read.
Wonderful. So much food for thought. I never re-read books, but this is one of the first I'll make an exception for.
A quiet masterpiece.
'Thrillingly original . . . A landmark' Anne Enright
'An intricately, perfectly mapped journey into self-liberation . . . It will stay with me for the rest of my days' Samantha Harvey
'One of the great novels of the twentieth century . . . Absolutely stunning' Max Porter
'Wildly original . . . Beneath the radical disquiet is a beautiful hymn to the hearts and minds of women' Sarah Hall
I swear I loved them all, and I did the best I could. And then I left them, left all of it.
Abra has a perfect-seeming life as a wife and mother: until one day, she walks away, leaving only a note asking her family not to look for her.
In a woodland cabin, her new life alone begins. There are no mirrors, no clocks, no memories: just the squirrels breathing in the forest, and silence of vegetables growing.
Years later, a young woman arrives, and the past-flashes begin. Daughter? A strange word. Is this her? And what will this mean?
Joan Barfoot's Gaining Ground is a both a provocative meditation on living on your own terms and an exquisite work of art. It calls to anybody who has ever wanted to escape - who has asked what it costs to be wild, to be sane, to be free.
So damn extraordinary.
This book meant everything to me.
It quietly changed the path of my life.
An instant all-time favorite.
I loved reading this book . . . A story of impossible bravery, survival and reconciliation.
A beautiful story about a woman who puts her own happiness in life above her maternal duties.
One of the most influential novels I have ever read.
Wonderful. So much food for thought. I never re-read books, but this is one of the first I'll make an exception for.
A quiet masterpiece.
*'A LITERARY SENSATION: THE MUST-READ OF THE SUMMER' ( OBSERVER)*
'Thrillingly original . . . A landmark' Anne Enright
'An intricately, perfectly mapped journey into self-liberation . . . It will stay with me for the rest of my days' Samantha Harvey
'One of the great novels of the twentieth c...
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About the author
Joan Barfoot (born 1946) is the author of eleven novels. Her books, which reviewers have celebrated as 'harrowing and hilarious' and 'gloriously subversive', have been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. A recipient of the Marian Engel Award, she has also been a journalist during much of her career. She lives in London, Ontario, Canada.
Joan Barfoot (born 1946) is the author of eleven novels. Her books, which reviewers have celebrated as 'harrowing and hilarious' and 'gloriously subversive', have been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. A recipient of the Marian Engel Award, she h...
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