Serious Things

In the early 1990s, at an old-fashioned boarding school, two boys form an intense friendship that will shape the course of their lives. Bruno Jackson, the shy and lonely son of British expats, is infatuated by the glamorous but troubled Anthony Blunden. Taken under the wing of an idealistic English teacher, the boys are encouraged to explore the 'more serious things' of life beyond college. But in the hothouse of the school, a slight from their mentor seems of earth-shattering importance, with fateful consequences. Years later, with the memories of that time almost buried, Bruno leads a blameless, uneventful life. The sudden reappearance of Anthony forces him to revisit the dark corners of his past and to decide how far he's prepared to go to assuage his conscience.

From the acclaimed writer of GHOST PORTRAIT and THE SHIP OF FOOLS, this is a gripping tale of vengeance, morality and the complex paths that can lead to redemption.

“Superbly written, with not a superfluous word, and enriched with wonderfully vivid images”

'Subtle, clever and immensely enjoyable' -- Guardian 20080322 'Impeccably written ... his scaling of the treacherous cliffs of the human heart will take your breath away' -- Sunday Telegraph 20080322 '' -- Independent on Sunday 20080322 'A finely observed account of pubescent yearnings, which succeeds on every level' -- Daily Mail 20080322 'Not a whodunnit or a whydunnit but a reassessment of what happened in order to reach a resolution of forgotten guilt and mystery ... intelligent and beautifully written' -- Literary Review 20080322 'Impeccably paced ... Norminton is a talented writer: he depicts the climate of cowardice and loyalty that allows bullying to flourish, while sensitively rendering the beauty of the English landscape' -- Times Literary Supplement 20080322 'sharply realised' -- The Times 20080809 'A desolate story of men behaving unspeakably badly' -- Independent on SUnday 20080911

Gregory Norminton was born in 1976. He studied at Oxford and trained as an actor. His first novel, THE SHIP OF FOOLS, was published by Sceptre in 2002 and was followed in 2004 by ARTS AND WONDERS, for which he won an Arts Council Writers Award, and GHOST PORTRAIT in 2005.

In the early 1990s, at an old-fashioned boarding school, two boys form an intense friendship that will shape the course of their lives. Bruno Jackson, the shy and lonely son of British expats, is infatuated by the glamorous but troubled Anthony Blunden. Taken under the wing of an idealistic English teacher, the boys are encouraged to explore the 'more serious things' of life beyond college. But in the hothouse of the school, a slight from their mentor seems of earth-shattering importance, with fateful consequences. Years later, with the memories of that time almost buried, Bruno leads a blameless, uneventful life. The sudden reappearance of Anthony forces him to revisit the dark corners of his past and to decide how far he's prepared to go to assuage his conscience. From the acclaimed writer of GHOST PORTRAIT and THE SHIP OF FOOLS, this is a gripping tale of vengeance, morality and the complex paths that can lead to redemption.

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