Shouting at the Window
A man takes a train journey between two (unnamed) cities. Haynes - we only ever get to know his surname - is on the margins of society: a petty criminal, living from day-to-day, who has had to flee from his usual territory to somewhere more secure...
On the Carousel
On the Carousel is the story of a young man’s journey through the decade – against the background of Thatcherism and Madonna and Cabbage Patch Dolls – as he enjoys the benefits of success, but then starts to re-assess his values and priorities...
Latest from the Blog
The Sportswriter by Richard Ford (1986)
31st March 2026 In Richard Ford’s novel, Frank Bascombe is a sportswriter approaching his 39th birthday and living in the fictional town of Haddam, New Jersey. Having had an amicable divorce from his wife – whom we only ever know as “X” – he is attempting to establish a relationship with a nurse, Vicki Arcenault,…
Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd (2024)
10th February 2026 In August 1960, Gabriel Dax – an ambitious 30-year old travel writer – is in Léopoldville in the newly independent republic of the Congo. Through a friend from university who is now a Minister in the government, he secures an interview with the charismatic Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. Gabriel learns that Lumumba…
A Scrooge Mystery by Andreina Cordani (2025)
18th January 2026 It is a few days before Christmas in 1844, nearly a full year on from the events of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The enlightened Ebenezer Scrooge – now a reformed character and an enthusiastic supporter of the festival – is paying one of his occasional visits to the local graveyard for…
JR Alexander 