Tree Surgery for Beginners - Couverture souple

A vivid and compelling portrait of a man at odds with himself; and an extended family of friends and lovers trying to take its proper shape. Lawrence Frost has neither father nor siblings, and fits so awkwardly into his worldly mother's life he might have dropped from the sky. Like many such heroes, he grows up happier with plants than people. While he is straightforward, honest, and a doting dad, he can be a difficult, taciturn husband - but he's the last person one would suspect of being a killer. Waking one morning to find himself branded a wife-beater and under suspicion of murder, his small world falls apart as he loses wife, daughter, liberty, livelihood and, almost, his mind.

A very funny, often sad, erudite eclectic novel writ with style. Terrific (Time Out)

An elegant romance that manages to be both playful and wise. . . infused with a smiling, Mozartean sensibility, reminding us that we can go so awry, break so utterly apart and still find the strength to continue (New York Times)

A carnival of events in which credible characters find themselves in incredible situations (Daily Telegraph)

Gale is a master of the deceptively light touch (Mail on Sunday)

Excellent (The Times)