What can I say? I enjoyed this book enormously, so a huge thank you to Anna for letting me read it.

The MC, Chris Flinders, is a struggling writer who is taken under the wings of London editor Owen Goddard and his wife. He is charmed by their generosity and lifestyle but, on the brink of success, makes a serious error of judgement which ends in disaster. Shattered, he leaves London and buries himself in rural Yorkshire where he remains for twenty years until he is dug up by an academic researching the life of Owen Goddard.

Running alongside this is the story of the uneasy relationship with Gerald, his semi-vagrant elder brother, and how their childhood rivalry has dogged their adult lives.

Clare Chambers writes from a male perspective with such assurance I began to wonder if she was secretly a man. However, a quick google confirmed she is definitely a woman, which means it’s her skill as a writer that makes this so convincing.

For that reason alone, I would recommend other writers to read this, but there’s so much more. The style is deceptively easy and with a gentle humour that made me laugh out loud in places. As the cover says, the story will appeal to fans of Julie Myerson and Maggie O’Farrell, but Clare Chambers has a very distinctive style of her own – and now I want to read all her previous novels.

I can highly recommend this book. It’s out in hardback April 5th, available to pre-order from Amazon at paperback price.

Dee

Just seen this- thanks so much for the review Dee, which has made me want to get it now! particularly if she's in the vein of Myerson...

Sorry, Anna, I meant to reply to this the other day and got sidetracked. If you like Myerson, you’ll love this.

Dee