'Charles Bradshaw is an ageing tycoon haunted by his past. When he suffers a heart attack, he abruptly retires and announces that he will give his fortune to charity, which leads to conflict with his wife and adult children. An old girlfriend, Anna, returns unannounced, and brings with her memories of a terrible secret that they share from their youth. Unnerved by their renewed affection for each other, Charles and Anna struggle to overcome their remorse and to make amends, but tension inevitably flares. Meanwhile, Charles's son is taking over the company and becomes intoxicated with his newfound power, intent, it seems, on self-destruction.
'His last prayer was more than forty years ago, and it went unanswered, so there is no use trying again. He can see his home in the distance: the marquee in the garden, his yacht at anchor. It is all like a simple parable. The rich man, the fat man, gets his comeuppance. Absurd, that he will be found dead wearing nothing but Speedos - it almost makes him laugh.' (From the publisher's website.)
Epigraph:
That the best portion of a man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and love.
Wordsworth
