Henry Preston Standish is a gentleman in every sense of the word: he enjoys an exquisite education and a comfortable social position, lives comfortably in New York, and is a faithful husband and a loving father. In short, his peaceful life "flows quietly, making hardly any noise." Yet one day Standish feels the sudden impulse to go out in search of adventure and embarks on the Arabella. On the journey, far from his usual obligations, he will recover a certain joy for life: at that time he is thirty-five years old and has never felt better. It is then that banality decides to cut short his brilliant destiny: the protagonist, slipping on a grease stain while watching the sunrise, falls overboard in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

An excellent swimmer and a strong spirit, Standish ponders his chances of survival and swims in the hope of being rescued during a few crucial hours during which, however, no one on board notices his absence.

A Knight Adrift is a visionary novel, a masterpiece for its simplicity, for its narrative tension and for posing the question of existence in its most fundamental terms. A tragicomic parable that makes us think about how we order priorities in our busy lives and that reminds us, literally and figuratively, that it is not always easy to stay afloat.

«I'll get to the point: this is a book that must be read.» Ralph Straus, Sunday Times

«Few times has the helplessness of a human being been written about with the intensity and intelligence with which this story does. (...) We must thank the author for having given us this lucid and prodigious story.» José María Guelbenzu, El País