Description

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF O BROTHER

In a busy maternity ward, first-time father Dan meets Jada, a dad welcoming his fifth – no, sixth? – child into the world. Dan and Jada come from very different places: both called Glasgow. Dan is a successful TV writer with a townhouse in the West End and a shiny Tesla ready to drive his wife and baby home. Jada is a hustling, small-time criminal who is already planning how to separate Dan from some of the luxuries Jada has never been able to enjoy in his tiny flat in a Brutalist sixties council block.

Both men find that the birth of their sons has fired their ambitions. Dan plans to walk away from his saccharine TV success and finally knuckle down to writing that novel he always felt he had in him. While, for Jada, it’s the opportunity for one last get-rich-quick scheme – ripping off a local airport. When a tragedy occurs, their worlds are brought closer than either could ever have imagined – close enough that it could mean destruction for both of them . . .

Publisher Review

Bitingly funny, inkwell black and surprisingly tender — ADAM KAY, author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT Like the bastard son of Irvine Welsh and Martin Amis, Niven manages to appal, amuse, terrify and make your heart ache in the same paragraph — JOJO MOYES A hilarious and harrowing piece of brilliance — LUCY MANGAN Just when you think Niven couldn’t possibly be more outrageous, he floors you with tenderness. And then makes you howl with laughter. He is the most reliable treat — MARINA HYDE Refreshing and memorable. In the midst of our hard, bleak world, Niven manages to find humour and tenderness, gleefully driving his bulldozer down the middle of the road — CHARLIE HIGSON [Niven’s] best novel yet — SARAH PINBOROUGH Parenting, class and male mental health are tackled with dark humour * * Grazia * * Praise for John Niven: ‘Riotous and yet bracingly moving * * Observer * * The writing is first rate, without announcing how good it is * * Spectator * * Niven is a tremendous storyteller * * iPaper * *