Cover of Gliff

First published 2024

Gliff

by Ali Smith

Your shelf

Sign in to keep this book on your shelf and send it to falcon.

Sign in

From a literary master, a moving and genre-bending story about our era-spanning search for meaning and knowingAn uncertain near-future. A story of new boundaries drawn between people daily. A not-very brave new world. Add two children. And a horse.From a Scottish word meaning a transient moment, a shock, a faint glimpse, Gliff explores how and why we endeavour to make a mark on the world. In a time when western industry wants to reduce us to algorithms and data—something easily categorizable and predictable—Smith shows us why our humanity, our individual complexities, matter more than ever.

Prize history

Reviews

  • New York Review of Books · 1 Oct 2026

    Catalytic Ghosts

    In any story by the Scottish writer Ali Smith, you are likely to find a precocious young person who delivers a dose of naked truth, exposing the shams of contemporary mores and politics. You may also find a ghost. These figures often serve as catalysts. They shake other characters awake and chivy…

    Regina Marler

On these lists

ISBN 9780593687864 · 9780241665589 · 9781405959452

Same country and decade

United Kingdom · 2020s

More by Ali Smith