After a stark phone call with his boyfriend it seems that he has been, or is about to be, dumped. There is very little if any emotion displayed at this point. Nostalgia calls him and he sets off in his Range Rover. We travel forwards alongside Edward as his physical journey evolves, but we also travel backwards in time with him in a series of chapters that show him from a child growing up into a young man with an important surname to live up to. Within these chapters unfolds life changing events on many levels in and around Bradington Bay.
After meeting Hank randomly in a bar one night as he stops over in a motel on his way, he decides that Hank should join him on the trip, keeping him company. He feels comfortable with Hank and very quickly their conversations begin to open up about their complicated pasts.
The story splits into chapters from Edwards childhood and early adulthood to the present day, and gradually we see how the past has informed the future. Their exchanges and advice to each other (not always welcomed) illustrate beautifully what complex characters these fragile two men really are.
I read this book in 2 days and literally couldn’t put it down. It’s so beautifully written and incredibly sensitive in the depiction of relationships, both familial and romantic. Although only a short book it is so rich. Edward unfolds as a complex, thoughtful man, born into a very wealthy family, which has had it’s drawbacks as well as it’s benefits. Mistakes, or bad choices - or maybe just a simple lack of courage - have put him on a path that he has continued along for so long.
For a debut novel this is such a powerful, important book, which I predict is going to be an instant hit.
