The Empathy Problem

Driven by money, power and success, Gabriel has worked ruthlessly to get to the very top of the banking game. He's not going to let the inconvenience of a terminal brain tumour get in his way.

But the tumour has other ideas. As it grows, it appears to be doing strange things to Gabriel's personality. Whether he likes it or not, he seems to be becoming less selfish, less mercenary, less unlikeable.

Once he could dismiss the rest of humanity as irrelevant. Now he's not so sure. Women, in particular, are becoming worryingly three-dimensional. And none more so than Caitlin, the 'unremarkable' girl he sees busking on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. When she plays her violin, Gabriel could almost believe that he has a soul...

But as each day that passes brings him closer to his last, has time run out for second chances?

Bestselling author Gavin Extence pushes the envelope again with another thought-provoking and funny novel about the surprises, good and bad, that life can throw at us.

“Warm and funny and tragic and uplifting all in one. Extence should be on everyone's radar”

Praise for Gavin Extence's previous novels:

'[Extence] captures how the illness feels from the inside with sensitivity and sparkling humour. In Abby he has created a warm, funny and relatable heroine' - Daily Express

The quality of [Extence's] writing is high and often hilarious - Irish Daily Mail

'Insightful and sensitive, Extence describes with the lightest of touches what it's like to live with bipolar' - Sunday Express

'Extence really brings Abby to life in this honest, uequivocal narrative...There is something curiously cathartic about this book, as well as having the bravery, touching honesty and memorable protagonist that Extence is making his trademark' - Heat

'Author Gavin Extence's funny and dark second novel is your commute's saviour' - Stylist

'A book of substance. The characters will stay with you'

Praise for Gavin Extence's previous novels - -

'If we do a better book in our book club this year we'll have done very well. I'm a huge fan of this book... I love it'

Gavin Extence lives in Sheffield with his wife, children and cat. He has written two previous novels, THE UNIVERSE VERSUS ALEX WOODS and THE MIRROR WORLD OF MELODY BLACK. His third novel THE EMPATHY PROBLEM publishes in August 2016.

Driven by money, power and success, Gabriel has worked ruthlessly to get to the very top of the banking game. He's not going to let the inconvenience of a terminal brain tumour get in his way.But the tumour has other ideas. As it grows, it appears to be doing strange things to Gabriel's personality. Whether he likes it or not, he seems to be becoming less selfish, less mercenary, less unlikeable. Once he could dismiss the rest of humanity as irrelevant. Now he's not so sure. Women, in particular, are becoming worryingly three-dimensional. And none more so than Caitlin, the 'unremarkable' girl he sees busking on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. When she plays her violin, Gabriel could almost believe that he has a soul...But as each day that passes brings him closer to his last, has time run out for second chances?Bestselling author Gavin Extence pushes the envelope again with another thought-provoking and funny novel about the surprises, good and bad, that life can throw at us.

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