The new novel from Patrick Gale, author of Richard & Judy-bestseller 'Notes from an Exhibition', returning readers to his beloved Cornish coastline. 'Do you need me to pray for you now for a specific reason?' 'I'm going to die.' 'We're all going to die. Does dying frighten you?' 'I mean I'm going to kill myself.' When 20-year-old Lenny Barnes, paralysed in a rugby accident, commits suicide in the presence of Barnaby Johnson, the much-loved priest of a West Cornwall parish, the tragedy's reverberations open up the fault-lines between Barnaby and his nearest and dearest. The personal stories of his wife, children and lover illuminate Barnaby's ostensibly happy life, and the gulfs of unspoken sadness that separate them all. Across this web of relations scuttles Barnaby's repellent nemesis -- a man as wicked as his prey is virtuous.
Praise for 'Notes from an Exhibition': 'This book is complete perfection' Stephen Fry 'This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.' Guardian 'By the end I had laughed and cried and put all his other books on my wish list. This is dense, thought-provoking, sensitive, satisfying, humorous, humane -- a real treat.' Toby Clements, Telegraph 'A beautifully written, slowly unravelling tale!Patrick Gale's serene and carefully crafted prose conveys a profound understanding of the workings of human relationships and the torment that mental illness causes its sufferers and also those around them.' Ross Gilfillan, Daily Mail 'Skilfully constructed as a mosaic of different viewpoints that shift back and forwards in time. A warm, well-written novel about creativity and the perils of living with the creative spirit.' Times Literary Supplement Praise for 'Notes from an Exhibition': 'This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.' Guardian 'It has the kind of quietly radiant intelligence, craft and integrity that bypasses superficial questions of originality. A novel with a variety and freshness that is all the more powerful and surprising for being discovering in such a circumscribed and very English milieu.' Adam Lively, Sunday Times 'Skilfully constructed as a mosaic of different viewpoints that shift back and forwards in time. A warm, well-written novel about creativity and the perils of living with the creative spirit.' Times Literary Supplement 'By the end I had laughed and cried and put all his other books on my wish list. This is dense, thought-provoking, sensitive, satisfying, humorous, humane -- a real treat.' Toby Clements, Telegraph 'Beautifully written, slowly unravelling tale!Patrick Gale's serene and carefully crafted prose conveys a profound understanding of the workings of human relationships and the torment that mental illness causes its sufferers and also those around them.' Ross Gilfillan, Daily Mail Praise for 'Gentleman's Relish': "Dark, witty, and often obliquely moving" Carol Ann Duffy, The Times "Provides further evidence of Gale's stylistic deftness, insight and wonderfully eclectic range of interests" Independent "A master storyteller" Independent on Sunday Praise for Patrick Gale: "Gale's wonderful novels are rife with coincidence, charm and unrelenting humanity. I wait for them the way some people wait for springtime" Armistead Maupin "Gale is an impressive writer with a sharp eye for telling detail and a poet's ear for a well-turned phrase" Guardian
Title: A Perfectly Good Man
Subtitle:
Contributors:
By (author)
Patrick Gale
ISBN 13: 9780007465088
ISBN 10: 0007465084
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd
Publication Date: 17/08/2012
Place of Publication:
London,
United Kingdom
Edition:
BIC Subjects:
Modern fiction
NBS Classification: General & Literary Fiction
Dewey Classification:
823.92
(DC23)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Height: 197mm
Width: 130mm
Weight: 280g