Sophie Elmhirst

"Gird your loins and line up your couple's therapist." - New York Times Book Review podcast "This is nonfiction that reads like fiction - the best kind. Elmhirst's retelling is a triumph, second only to the seemingly impossible feat of Maurice and Maralyn themselves. You won't be able to put it down." - USA Today "A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book." - Patrick Radden Keefe "Stark, elemental, and sure to be a classic." --Hampton Sides "An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit." --Bill BrysonThe electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea: a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He's a loner, awkward and obsessive; she's charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream - as we all dream - of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away? Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But in June 1972, Maurice and Maralyn set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves. What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can't run away from themselves. Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

**THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER****WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024****WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024** An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love'An enthralling, engrossing story of survival' Bill Bryson‘An absolute jewel of a book’ India Knight‘A gripping tale of adventure’ Elizabeth Day‘An extraordinary survival story’ Sunday TimesBored of 1970s suburban life, Maurice and Maralyn plan their escape: sell the house, build a boat, set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway around the world, their beloved boat is struck by a whale and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Alone on a tiny raft, their love is put to the test. This is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive – not just at sea, but in life.‘This skilful storytelling drew me in…very touching indeed’ James Rebanks‘With the adrenaline kick of Jaws . . . A remarkable portrait of a marriage kept afloat against the odds’ Financial Times‘This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told. I really could not put it down’ Nina StibbeA Guardian, Observer & Waterstones Non-fiction Book of the Year**READERS ADORE MAURICE & MARALYN**‘A riveting tale of survival . . . and of the power of love when all appears lost’‘A mind-blowing story of resilience and love in the face of adversity’‘The very best kind of true story, and beautifully written’‘I couldn’t put this book down’‘I was absolutely hooked from the outset’

**WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION AWARD 2024****A Guardian, Observer, Economist & Waterstones Best Book of 2024**** A Financial Times BEST SUMMER READ**'One of those very special books that makes you put everything on hold so you can get back to it' RACHEL JOYCEWhat begins as an eccentric English love story turns into one of the most dramatic adventures ever recorded...Maurice and Maralyn couldn't be more different. He is as cautious and awkward as she is charismatic and forceful. It seems an unlikely romance, but it works.Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maralyn has an idea: sell the house, build a boat, leave England -- and its oil crisis, industrial strikes and inflation -- forever. It is hard work, turning dreams into reality, but finally they set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway there, their beloved boat is struck by a whale and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.On their tiny raft, their love is put to the test. When Maurice begins to withdraw into himself, it falls upon Maralyn to keep them both alive. Filled with danger, spirit, and tenderness, this is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive -- not just at sea, but in life.'Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer' ELIZABETH DAY**READERS ADORE MAURICE & MARALYN**‘A riveting tale of survival . . . and of the power of love when all appears lost’‘A mind-blowing story of resilience and love in the face of adversity’‘The very best kind of true story, and beautifully written’‘I couldn’t put this book down’‘I was absolutely hooked from the outset’