In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. It is also, unexpectedly, a tribute to the joys of reading' The Wall Street Journal 'A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival. 'An extraordinary story about solitude, community, identity and freedom' Guardian My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight – a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off and live the life of a hermit' Lucy Mangan, Stylist

Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena and Ayesha's Gift 'A wry meditation on one man's attempt to escape life's distractions and look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being' 'This was a breath-taking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and - by extension - for my own life' Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm Could you leave behind all that you know and live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit - Christopher Knight.

Free download the stranger in the woods