The Night Listener

His most mature, mellow and moving novel yetIndependent
A mystery studded with elegant twists and turnsNew York Times Book Review
Absorbing, sophisticated, funny and touchingSunday Times
A tremendous, hugely satisfying readTime Out
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Gabriel Noone is a writer whose late-night radio stories have brought him into the homes of millions. Noone is in the midst of a painful separation from his lover of ten years, when a publisher sends him the memoir of a thirteen-year-old boy who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of his parents.

Pete Lomax is not only a brave and gifted diarist but a devoted listener to Noones show. When Noone phones the boy to offer encouragement, it soon becomes clear that Pete sees in this heart-sick, middle-aged storyteller the loving father hes always wanted. Thus begins an extraordinary friendship that only grows deeper as the boys health deteriorates.

Then, out of the blue, troubling new questions arise, exploding Noones comfortable assumptions and causing his ordered existence to spin wildly out of control. As he walks the tightrope between truth and illusion, he is finally forced to confront all his relationships - familial, romantic and erotic.