'A searing reminder of what we owe to ourselves' Saba Sams

'I absolutely loved Gaining Ground: so thought-provoking and complex, but also full of moments of beauty and peace. It veers deftly between the beauty of the seasons and the hollowing despair of a stifled existence. Abra’s dilemma electrified me. An extraordinary novel' Katherine May

‘I was gripped by this radical, deeply felt novel, finding myself increasingly immersed and moved by its fresh, insistent narrative of loss and becoming. I know this book will have a new life of being discussed, recommended and passed from friend to friend’ Megan Hunter

'A haunting book, with an outstanding sense of place and inner space: unsettling as well as memorable' Margaret Drabble

'If you want to pick a fight with yourself, pick this book. This is what the best writing does: makes you think, makes you think again, makes you think better' Claire Kilroy  

'Beneath its glassy surface, the currents of this book are vast and dark and dangerous. Weeks after finishing it, I still feel caught in the vortex of its desperately sad – and sadly still relevant – oppositions; still hear the silent howl of its inarticulable pain. A profoundly important and timely reissue' Lucy Caldwell