9781914420658
252 pp
PB 197 x 130 mm
Mono
£10.99/$14.95/$16.95
Fiction
World rights available
Leeds, 2017. Disaffected journalist Fred Whitby and his mother visit Grandad Norman following the death of his callous second wife, Brenda. Norman has relapsed into alcoholism. Brenda’s daughter and her husband have invaded the house.
Whilst writing a diary in attempt to revive his creativity, Fred finds himself cast adrift in his family history, trying frantically to piece together the fragmented memories, half-truths, secrets and mythologies that lie therein. Disappearances. Post-war protection rackets. An IRA bomb plot. Romantic rivalries. The kidnap of a traitorous miner.
As the spectres of the past loom over the present Fred, must navigate the fantastical and unprovable stories of his grandfather in his quest for whatever truth and meaning still remain.
TOMMY SISSONS is a writer, poet and educator living in London. His debut A Small Man’s England was published by Repeater in 2021 and his poetry has been featured in The Poetry Review.