Description

Book Synopsis
From a literary master, a novel of ghosts and history and family legacy, of the unexpected acts of care that shine light into our darkest hours.

Ghosts don't exist. 
They don't. End of.
Story, however. 
It is haunting.
Everything tells it. 

It all starts when Petra and her little sister Patch hear a horrifying story from the past and find themselves making up a ghost. 

Is it imaginary? Is it real?

Then it all starts again thirty years later when Petra, now estranged from Patch, finds a phantom horse kicking the furniture to pieces in her bedroom. 

What to do? She phones her sister.

In a chiarascuro dance through our increasingly bellicose era, Glyph asks if we’re attending to the history that’s made us and to the history we’re making.  

A funny, warm and clear-eyed take on where we are now, it's about what are our imaginations are for and how, in a broken, brutal and divided time we rekindle care, solidarity, resistance and openness. This anti-war novel, Ali Smith’s most soulful, playful and vital yet, is a work of lightness that goes deep to counter the forces currently flattening the modern world.

Glyph

    Product form

    £22.40

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £28.00 – you save £5.60 (20%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 1 Aug 2026.

    A Hardback by Ali Smith

    5 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Glyph by Ali Smith

      Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
      Publication Date: Publication Date:
      ISBN13: 9780593701584, 978-0593701584
      ISBN10:

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      From a literary master, a novel of ghosts and history and family legacy, of the unexpected acts of care that shine light into our darkest hours.

      Ghosts don't exist. 
      They don't. End of.
      Story, however. 
      It is haunting.
      Everything tells it. 

      It all starts when Petra and her little sister Patch hear a horrifying story from the past and find themselves making up a ghost. 

      Is it imaginary? Is it real?

      Then it all starts again thirty years later when Petra, now estranged from Patch, finds a phantom horse kicking the furniture to pieces in her bedroom. 

      What to do? She phones her sister.

      In a chiarascuro dance through our increasingly bellicose era, Glyph asks if we’re attending to the history that’s made us and to the history we’re making.  

      A funny, warm and clear-eyed take on where we are now, it's about what are our imaginations are for and how, in a broken, brutal and divided time we rekindle care, solidarity, resistance and openness. This anti-war novel, Ali Smith’s most soulful, playful and vital yet, is a work of lightness that goes deep to counter the forces currently flattening the modern world.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account