Seascraper
by Benjamin Wood · read March 19, 2026
Review
There was something incredibly satisfying about reading this novel, which to me was a beautiful execution of the hero's journey.
This little snippet of the coastline he relies on for his livelihood does not belong to him or anybody, but it's always there, preceding him, outlasting him for sure, and he can recognise his loyalty to the ghosts who walk along it — he can even manage to respect himself for being steadfast to the work — but there's no meaning in it any more. It doesn't matter to the sea who visits it, or to the shrimp who scrapes them from the sand. A song, though—well, a song belongs to someone. To whoever dreamed it up.