The Upright Piano Player

Henry Cage seemed to have it all. A successful business career, considerable wealth, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel.

On the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random act of violence which soon escalates into a prolonged persecution, with tragic consequences. Family secrets are revealed, and when his ex-wife Nessa summons Henry to Palm Beach, he realises that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past.

The Upright Piano Player explores with a tender, yet unflinching eye the small but devastating flaws in human nature that can shape our destinies.

Long-listed for Desmond Elliott Prize 2010

“'This is a fine, sensitive, moving book - a remarkable first novel' Justin Cartwright.”

'Elegant, rich and gratifying' Claire Beale, Independent. Independent
'It is beautifully written, the sentences polished like gems - but it is the book's substances that sticks in the mind' Anthony Capella. Anthony Capella
Justin Cartwright
'The menace simmering beneath the surface of its prose is compelling' Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail. Daily Mail
'(A) beautifully constructed debut' Catherine Taylor, Guardian. Guardian

David Abbott began his career as an advertising copywriter and went on to found one of the U.K.'s outstanding advertising agencies, Abbott Mead Vickers. He is widely recognized as one of the industry's most deservedly celebrated creative directors. This book, many years in the making, is his first novel.

Henry Cage seemed to have it all. A successful business career, enough money, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel. On the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random act of violence which soon escalates into a prolonged persecution, with unforeseen consequences. Family secrets are revealed, and when his ex-wife Nessa summons Henry to Palm Beach, he realizes that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past. The Upright Piano Player is a wise and acutely observed novel of family fracture, loss and reconciliation, with a powerful emotional punch. With a tender, yet unflinching eye it explores the small but devastating flaws in human nature that can shape our destinies.

Henry Cage seemed to have it all. A successful business career, considerable wealth, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel. On the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random act of violence which soon escalates into a prolonged persecution, with tragic consequences. Family secrets are revealed, and when his ex-wife Nessa summons Henry to Palm Beach, he realises that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past. The Upright Piano Player explores with a tender, yet unflinching eye the small but devastating flaws in human nature that can shape our destinies.

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