Separation for Beginners

'I laughed. I cried. I loved it' - Jack Dee

This is not what Pete thought middle-age would be like. His marriage is over, his business is on its last breaths and he's spending more time than is healthy in a dressing gown. So when his 23-year-old daughter Susie needs to move back home, it's like a glorious ray of sunshine has found him at last.

Except that she brings Niall with her. Niall: the boyfriend. Niall: a druid gardener who inexplicably only works from home. Niall: the annoying shadow that follows Susie everywhere.

Getting Niall out of the house becomes Pete's new purpose in life. But as he tries to bring Niall's flaws to the surface, Pete is forced to admit he's far from perfect himself. And spending time with this oddball as awkward as it may be is making Pete open up in ways he'd long shut down.

Separation for Beginners is a warm and wise novel about facing old heartaches and finding new friends, in the unlikeliest of places . . .

This uplifting, laugh-out-loud funny read about new beginnings is perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Beth O'Leary and Marian Keyes.

'Sharp-witted, self-deprecating and honest, had me laughing from start to finish' - Daily Mail

'Sharp and heart-warming' - Daily Mail, Fiction Books of the Year

Joe Portman is the pen name for literary fiction writer Tom Connolly, who has been longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, shortlisted for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award and celebrated in publications such as the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Daily Mail. This is the first in a series of up-lit commercial novels. Before becoming a writer he made award-winning short films and spent 20 years directing commercials and music videos all over the world. He lives in Brighton with his partner and kids.

Pete's swearing is getting worse. What with the divorce, the debt, and the dying travel business, no one seems to need him anymore. A feel-good novel about what happens when you let go of the past and make room for the unexpected later in life. This uplifting, laugh-out-loud funny read about new beginnings is perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Beth O'Leary and Marian Keyes. There are millions of people who would love to start over. Pete Smith isn't one of them. Between the divorce, the debt, and the dying travel business, no one seems to need him anymore. So, when his 23-year-old daughter moves back home, Pete's thrilled, even if it means Susie's bothersome boyfriend, Niall, comes to stay as well. But when Susie flies the nest for good, Pete finds himself stuck with a flatmate he never signed up for... One day he'll get around to fixing the lock on the bathroom door, figuring out what to do with his failing business, evicting his daughter's boyfriend from his house, and maybe even getting over his ex-wife. But it turns out there are some things you can't put off until later - and some people who won't let you. 'I laughed. I cried. I loved it' - Jack Dee 'Sharp-witted, self-deprecating and honest, had me laughing from start to finish' - Daily Mail

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.