Six Weeks
On sale
4th June 2026
Price: £8.99
‘Extraordinary … a slow, beautifully handled exploration of the past, grief and healing. Painful and authentic, it’s full of wisdom, hope and a resolution that will make you cry’ The Daily Mail
Utterly magnificient’ Liz Hyder
‘Matt Goodfellow’s best novel to date’ Sarah Crossan
‘Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant’ Phil Earle
‘Goodfellow has pulled off something astounding’ Anthony McGowan
All at once beautiful, tender, funny and sharp … a triumph’ Katya Balen
The hotly anticipated new book from award-winning writer Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he’ll never forget …
Alfie Piper has six weeks of summer – and nothing left to lose.
Since his mum died, Alfie’s world has unravelled. The silence between him and his stepdad roars louder than ever.
So he does the only thing that makes sense: grabs his bike, and rides.
In these long summer days, can Alfie rebuild what was broken?
Compulsively readable and beautifully-written, this is an unforgettable story of love and loss, family and hope. From Matt Goodfellow, winner of the CLiPPA Award – with breathtaking illustrations from Joe Todd-Stanton.
Utterly magnificient’ Liz Hyder
‘Matt Goodfellow’s best novel to date’ Sarah Crossan
‘Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant’ Phil Earle
‘Goodfellow has pulled off something astounding’ Anthony McGowan
All at once beautiful, tender, funny and sharp … a triumph’ Katya Balen
The hotly anticipated new book from award-winning writer Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he’ll never forget …
Alfie Piper has six weeks of summer – and nothing left to lose.
Since his mum died, Alfie’s world has unravelled. The silence between him and his stepdad roars louder than ever.
So he does the only thing that makes sense: grabs his bike, and rides.
In these long summer days, can Alfie rebuild what was broken?
Compulsively readable and beautifully-written, this is an unforgettable story of love and loss, family and hope. From Matt Goodfellow, winner of the CLiPPA Award – with breathtaking illustrations from Joe Todd-Stanton.
Reviews
This extraordinary free-verse novel is a raw and almost overwhelming study of grief, love, family and hope. Alfie's complicated, fun-loving mum died a year ago and he refuses to see his cold stepdad (referred to as 'him'), living instead with his Dad, stepmum and their baby.
During a six-week summer holiday, angry, sad Alfie rides his bike into the hills that his mum loved, but when his bike breaks, he's forced to accept help from 'him' - the start of a slow, beautifully handled exploration of the past, grief and healing.
Painful and authentic, it's full of wisdom, hope and a resolution that will make you cry. I did.