THE BOY WITH NO SHOES is struggling to exist in 1950s seaside Kent. His father is an abstract memory, his brother has been hollowed by abuse, at school he must face the soul-destroying Captain Flax and at home his mother has been washed away by family secrets. But Jimmy is a treasure-seeking hero who digs below the damage of abuse and drags up extraordinary acts of kindness. His is a world of long-forgotten ways -- longshoreman who comb the shores for stories, dens on clifftops that spark adventures, history lessons from local carpenter Arthur Sullivan and, at last, a pair of boots from The Royal Marines in exchange for cleaning the floors. In this triumphantly imaginative memoir, William Horwood captures painful loss of childhood innocence and shows us that honesty and comfort prevail.