'A quite extraordinary and unforgettable book' Ralph StrausPublished to great acclaim in 1929, this classic tale of childhood was Richard Hughes' first novel and became a bestseller. Doing away with Victorian sentimental visions of childhood, it paved the way for later works such as Golding's Lord of the Flies

Set in the last century against a tropical landscape and the ever-present sea, A High Wind in Jamaica tells the story of a family of English children who, on being sent by their parents back to England from Jamaica, fall into the hands of pirates. As this voyage of innocence continues the events which unfold begin to take on a savagely detached and haunting quality.