A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

£9.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781529928266
Published:
05 Jun 2025
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
416 pages
Dimensions:
198x129x35mm
Weight:
0.500kgs
Paris, 1885. Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her satchel that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she begins to succumb to a mysterious illness.When a visit to a doctor only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realises that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. And so begins her incredible lifelong journey on the run from her condition. From the scorched dunes of the Calanshio Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and, ultimately, to truly live.

A spellbinding fantasy adventure that follows a young woman struck down by a mysterious curse, and her extraordinary journey in search of survival.


'Races around the globe, through deserts and cities, across oceans'
Oprah Daily

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

* * *

PARIS, 1885. On an otherwise ordinary night, Aubry Tourvel - spoiled, stubborn and nine years old - is suddenly struck down by a mysterious illness at the family dinner table.

When a visit to a doctor only makes her worse, Aubry flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realises that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive.

She has no choice: she must run from this curse. And so begins her incredible lifelong journey across the world.

But with risk at every turn, what will it take for Aubry to survive?

* * *

* As seen on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show Book Club *

'An epic adventure…rich with all the possibilities the world can hold'
People

'A dazzling debut'
Shelby Van Pelt

'Imagine Life of Pi and The Midnight Library rolled into one'
New York Times

READERS LOVE A SHORT WALK:
'This book is incredible'
'A unique blend of adventure and fantasy…the world-building is nothing short of amazing'
'I loved every page of it…you just cannot put the book down'
'A perfect read… Aubry is a marvellous character'
'A true love letter to travel, adventure and discovery… Fantastic'
'Beautifully written… I loved following her journey'

About the Author: Douglas Westerbeke is a librarian who lives in Ohio and works at one of the largest libraries in the US. He has spent the last decade on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, which inspired him to write his own book.

More Information
Number of pages 416

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