Walk

Stephen had seemed enthusiastic about the walk, when Benny first invited him. He kept going on about how amazing it'd be, the two of them out in the wilderness - the landscape shots, the pubs, etc., etc.

Benny didn't interrupt this stream of enthusiasm. They were in the car park of the Miners, and Benny was too busy concentrating on his own stream of piss. He didn't think about it at all until the next morning.

When he remembered inviting Stephen, Benny laughed out loud - a single ha - then spent three minutes silent-screaming into his pillow.

****

Benny thought that it would be him and his dad doing the walk. Just him and his father, hiking through the Welsh countryside, like they used to.

Only, when his dad got ill, it became obvious that this would never happen. So Benny was forced to consider other options.

If Benny is honest, him and Stephen haven't been close since school, but once Benny had drunkenly blurted out the invitation, he couldn't take it back.

Now Benny and Stephen are on the walk. A walk Benny has vowed to finish, no matter how hard it is. But as food runs low and money runs out, Stephen and Benny find themselves stranded on the edge of the world, far from home, where the possibility of return is becoming increasingly distant...

“A modern picaresque that will grab and guide you through some of Britain's last remaining wildernesses, both inner and outer: the Wales/England border, the ransacked sociopolitical contract, the crisis of contemporary masculinity and its effect on all kinds of interpersonal relationships, the crags and quicksands of the soul. It is compelling and propulsive from the serene and optimistic beginning all the way to the stricken end. Fantastic.”

-- Niall Griffiths
A mad picaresque across Wales which is promising a twist that I know is coming but just can't guess from which direction. I'm half way through it and enjoying every step of the journey. Wales Art Review
This one's special. Bold, unapologetic, superbly written. 'Walk' offers a masterclass in how to write lean prose that's visually stunning and dialogue that's entirely real. -- Caroline Smailes

James Rice was born in Liverpool in 1987. He studied Creative Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, where he sometimes lectures. His debut novel Alice and the Fly was published in January 2015. Walk is his second novel.

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