The grown-up themes of Sarah Holding’s Road to True North are handled with empathy in an edgy, edge-of-your-seat coming-of-age story that sees a troubled father and son undertake a life-changing road trip around Iceland, where dramatic landscapes serve as a metaphor for the emotional journey of its protagonists.
“Of all the places in the world, why had his father brought him to this desolate place?” Such is Olly’s first impression of Iceland as the plane lands and he wishes his dad had taken him to a more exotic work trip location to “photograph aberrations in the earth’s crust”. Haunted by the recent events of a festival, and suffering from depression, Olly “hated that they were here in this stupid hotel in this stupid country. But more than anything, he hated himself.” At the same time, Olly’s dad is wrestling with his own demons, including alcoholism, which means father and son are drifting apart, much like the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates they visit.
In time, though, Olly starts to find his feet and courageously ventures beyond his comfort zone. But then explosive news comes from home ahead of a succession of troubles on and off the road. Building to stirring climax, Road to True North feels authentic as it also offers hints of healing and hope.
On the brink of adulthood, Olly's life has fallen apart after a disastrous summer of failed exams and first love, resulting in a police warning and a mental health diagnosis.
Olly's father, Sean, decides to take him on a road trip to Iceland in order to 'fix' him. But it's not Olly who's broken; it's Sean. As they tour the country, Olly's breathtaking encounters with Iceland, and the music and friends he makes along the way, slowly enable him to regain his confidence, while Sean descends into a crisis of his own making.
His wife has gone radio silent, his boss wants to fire him and he's drinking again. When his father disappears, Olly realises it's time to step up and take charge.
A moving and intimately-written novella about a challenging father-son relationship."
"A welcome addition to the coming-of-age genre, in which the author sensitively explores issues of addiction and identity."
Sarah Holding is a full-time children’s & YA author based in the UK and Japan. Road to True North is her 6th novel. Her fictional debut SeaBEAN, a best-selling time travel adventure trilogy first published in 2013, is now in its 4th edition and being taught in primary schools across the UK and around the world. CHAMELEON, her first YA novel published in 2020, is set during the fall of Atlantis. Her second YA novel blackloop, an edgy coming-of-age sci-fi romance, came out in 2023.
Sarah has given over 250 author-led creative writing workshops and talks for schools, libraries, festivals and offers a range of virtual discovery sessions for schools overseas. She is passionate about inspiring young people to connect with and understand their environment through fiction.
