God Is An Octopus

Loss, Love and a Calling to Nature

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God Is An Octopus

By: Ben Goldsmith

Narrated by: Simon Bubb

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Bloomsbury presents God Is An Octopus by Ben Goldsmith, read by Simon Bubb.

'Intensely readable, poetic, truthful, wise and wonderful.' STEPHEN FRY
'An extraordinary book.' SUNDAY TIMES

Struggling to comprehend the shocking death of his teenage daughter, Ben Goldsmith finds solace in nature by immersing himself in plans to rewild his farm.

In July 2019, Ben Goldsmith lost his fifteen-year-old daughter, Iris, in an accident on their family farm in Somerset. Iris’s death left her family reeling.

Grasping for answers, Ben threw himself into searching for some ongoing trace of his beloved child, exploring ideas that until then had seemed too abstract to mean much to him. Missing his daughter terribly and struggling to imagine how he would face the rest of his life in the shadow of this loss, Ben found solace in nature, the object of a lifelong fascination. As Ben set about rewilding his farm, nature became a vital source of meaning and hope.

This book is the story of a year of soul-searching that followed a terrible loss. In an instant, Ben’s world had turned dark. Yet, unbelievably to him, the seasons kept on turning, and as he immersed himself in the dramatic restoration of nature in the place where it happened, he found healing.

In God is an Octopus, Ben tells a powerful, immersive and inspiring story of finding comfort and strength in nature after suffering loss and despair.©2023 Julie Bailey (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Ben GoldsmithSimon BubbBloomsbury Wildlife

Ecosystems & Habitats

Environment

Grief & Loss

Nature & Ecology

Outdoors & Nature

Personal Development

Relationships

Science

Inspiring

Heartfelt

Thought-Provoking

Feel-Good

Ecosystems & Habitats Environment Grief & Loss Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Personal Development Relationships Science Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Feel-Good

Critic reviews

From the deepest sorrow, the highest hope. Intensely readable, poetic, truthful, wise and wonderful, this will live with me for a very long time. (Stephen Fry)

An event of unimaginable trauma is transformed into a message of beauty and optimism through Ben’s passion for nature, which acts as his nurse, teacher and redeemer. (Joanna Lumley)

Stunningly beautiful, immensely sad, immensely uplifting, this is a book of grief and joy and wonder and renewal. (George Monbiot)

An extraordinarily powerful and moving journey through the darkest of griefs to the enduring love, hope and renewal of the natural world. A book of universal wisdom. (Benedict Cumberbatch)

A brilliant new book… heartbreaking. (David Walliams)

Beautiful and deeply moving, this will resonate with and inspire so many people. (Isabella Tree)

Extraordinary. (Rebecca Hardy)

Goldsmith has written an extraordinary book, God is an Octopus, about his journey through grief and his exploration of the afterlife. (Audrey Ward)

Ben chronicles the unfathomable tragedy of his daughter’s death with the profound love and compassion of a bereft parent. (Richard E. Grant)

An ambitious blend of memoir, nature diary and search for the meaning of life, the universe and everything ... [God is an Octopus] powerfully communicates the capacity of nature to rebound. (Alice O'Keeffe)

Some of the finest writing about nature you will find anywhere. (Roger Alton)

[Ben] does a quite astonishing job… finding incredible meaning in Iris’s short life and the connection with nature he experienced after her sudden death. (Bryony Gordon)

This book is as beautiful as it is painful to read ... The emotional depth of God is an Octopus makes it a deeply moving and thought-provoking read.

A compelling journey from the very heart of loss to the sanctuary and hope that only the natural world provides – emotive, raw and captivating. (Benedict Macdonald, Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Global Conservation)

A heartbreaking yet ultimately inspiring memoir of the personal spiritual odyssey. (Anthony Cummins)

A tribute not just to a lost child but also to nature’s regenerative power. (Hephzibah Anderson)

A meandering pathway through the thickets of grief ... this is a devastating book, unflinching, but written with lyricism. (Gavanndra Hodge)

Simply the most powerful and profound words I’ve ever read on grief... I clung to every sentence like a limpet hoping that time would slow down so I could digest and remember every word. (Georgia Toffolo)

Remarkable memoir… This book will bring comfort and hope to anyone experiencing grief. (Kate Blincoe)

A heartbreaking book, but also an uplifting book which solaces the heart. (Tom Stoppard)

[A] moving account of how reconnecting with nature helped [Goldsmith] rebuild a capacity for joy.

Poignant and very moving … a compelling piece of writing. (Stephen Moss)

Most relevant

Tragedy births brilliance. Should ignite a fire in everyone to become wilder in every sense of their being.