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With bags packed and waiting by the front door, Bernadette Shaw has decided tonight is the night she will leave Richard, her husband of 10 unhappy years.
Among the subjects unspoken of in their mismatched marriage has been Conor, a creative and loving child whom Bernadette has befriended and who has become one of the most significant people in her disappointing life.
Conor’s development and movement from foster home to foster home are recorded in his “Lifebook” which Bernadette now treasures.
His simple view of the world has helped her to find the clarity she needed in order to go through with tonight’s decision.
As the hours tick by and Richard uncharacteristically fails to arrive home from work, Bernadette’s unease grows. A phone call from Conor’s foster mother informs her that he didn’t come home from school and, over the course of the night Bernadette’s world is turned upside down.
With great compassion for all her characters, Louise Beech deftly creates a story of the survival of life’s sorrows which, with a little help, can lead ultimately to joy.
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