Maurice and Maralyn

An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love


Bored 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.

Review

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit -- BILL BRYSON

Electrifying . . . a tender portrait of two unconventional souls blithely defying the conventions of their era and making a break for freedom -- Fiona Sturges ― Guardian

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer -- ELIZABETH DAY

An extraordinary survival story… Elmhirst’s reconstruction of their ordeal is riveting, told in illuminating detail ― Sunday Times

Maurice and Maralyn somehow contrives to be both gripping and elegiac. Sophie Elmhirst's graceful, confident prose is novelistic in its pleasures and profoundly moving in its impact -- KALIANE BRADLEY, author of The Ministry of Time

A compelling book about a shipwreck, but also as thoughtful a tale about marriage, for better and worse, as you are likely to read ― Observer

Thought-provoking…compelling…tender… An ideal gift for a friend or family who likes incredible true stories of survival. But it’s also a book about love and hubris. And in that sense, it’s a book for us all. -- PANDORA SYKES

An amazing tale of survival . . . reminds me how incredibly hard it is to find love out there in the world -- Tracey Thorn ― New Statesman

This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told in calm, thoughtful, perfectly judged prose. I really could not put it down -- NINA STIBBE, author of Love, Nina

A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage -- India Knight ― Sunday Times

About the Author

Sophie Elmhirst is a prizewinning writer for the Guardian Long Read and The Economist's 1843 magazine, and a contributing editor at the Gentlewoman and Harper's Bazaar. In 2020 she won the British Press Award for Feature Writer of the Year; she has also won a Foreign Press Award and been longlisted for the Orwell Prize. She first came across the story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey researching a piece on our desire to escape. This is her first book. She lives in London.