ash books
growing stories, one word at a time
Limited edition hardback, with original endpapers featuring a map of Gresford Colliery, gold foiling, a debossed cover and case, and a gold ribbon bookmark.
The Wind Road
Joanna Eden
A mythical reimagining of the worst coal-mining disaster in North Wales. Perfect for fans of A Terrible Kindness and Pan’s Labyrinth, this haunting time-slip tale tells the story of the men who survived the 1934 Gresford Colliery disaster, the hundreds who died, and the four-year-old girl who set them free.
In 1984, a young girl named Jemima, born over the abandoned mine tunnel, forms a bond with a ‘soot-man’ she sees each night in her dreams. In 1934, Wey Smith, a miner down Gresford, leaves a sandwich for a ghost-girl following him around in the dark. In 2014, an old man sits alone in a colliery cottage, haunted by the legend of Weyland the Smith and the men entombed below. Set during the build-up and aftermath of the disaster, we uncover their mysterious connection through time.
The Wind Road is a tale of magic, coal mining, and the meaning of myth in our lives.
‘It has something which all real writing must have: something indefinable but real.’
Paul Kingsnorth, author of The Wake
‘I’m completely blown away by the depth and beauty of this novel. The touch remains light, but devastatingly effective. The prose style is so poetic, so evocative, and as crisp as an autumn morning. There’s not a word wasted, but every image, every symbol is resonant and rich.’
Dr Stephen Carver, author, editor and literary historian
‘The author triumphs in establishing three distinct and very different voices, as they move seamlessly between the three time periods in which the narrative is set. Fast-moving and engaging.’
Kate Nash, judge on the Exeter Novel Prize
‘One memory that was restored for me whilst reading [The Wind Road], was that of birds that were trapped down the pit...’
Alan Jones, former ventilation manager of Gresford Colliery and chairman of the North Wales Miners Association Trust
The Wind Road was a finalist in the Exeter Novel Prize, and was the recipient of an Arts Council/The Literary Consultancy award.
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ash books
growing stories, one word at a time
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