When we first met Prue, my sister pulled me into the kitchen to pass judgement, as we did with all of Andrew’s girlfriends. ‘This one’ll end up taking to drink or finding religion,’ Janey said. Prue’s claim to fame was that before she met our brother, she’d been Paul...
I’ve left The Loved Ones at home for ten days in Paradise with a friend. We’re staying at a resort spa in Thailand, one of those Luxury Escape offers that come at a ridiculous price because it’s the off-season and could well be hot and horrible and...
Cory Taylor died recently after a long fight with cancer. She left behind a remarkable book that was written in the space of a few weeks when her illness became untreatable. ‘Dying: A Memoir’ is a moving account of what dying taught her about life. It made me realise...
What a mess! Brexit, Trump and now us. And after almost twenty years in the political wilderness, Pauline is back promoting a lot of fear-mongering nonsense. Truly, I shouldn’t give her air to breathe and I apologise in advance for doing so, but like so many...
What can a child possibly teach adults about writing? A lot, I discovered on a dismal winter’s day when my grandson was four years of age. We had exhausted Lego, painting, play dough, gingerbread men and turning the couch cushions into a fort. ‘Why don’t we...
“Whatever may be their use in civilized societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic action.”