The Lighthouse

On the outer deck of a North Sea ferry stands Futh, a middle-aged and newly separated man, on his way to Germany for a restorative walking holiday. After an inexplicably hostile encounter with a hotel landlord, Futh sets out along the Rhine. As he contemplates an earlier trip to Germany and the things he has done in his life, he does not foresee the potentially devastating consequences of things not done. This novel tells the tense, gripping story of a man trying to find himself, but becoming lost.

Prize history

• Booker Prize 2012 Shortlist