Patrick Gale

Three studies of hidden lives, characters living among the unsuspecting; Patrick Gale’s novella is written from the point of view of a mistress who defies convention by attending her lover’s wife’s funeral then tracks back to tell the complex story of her affair, her publishing house career, her confiding in her lover’s son and so on. The tangled love affair, with a witty set up of writer and lover at a book launch party, is cleverly plotted and recounted. A most enjoyable work of fiction. One of the best books yet from Serpent’s Tail. Buy it.