Give this one a chance. It gets better as it goes on, and even if you end up disagreeing with me, it's short. ( )

Good in places. Hit the ground running, with the main character Desmond's possessions all over the front garden of his (former) home. Moggach explores separation from the male perspective - always going to be guesswork coming from a female author, but it felt genuine enough.

Some sections I found rather hard going, as Desmond embarked on a journey to find his estranged partner and son. A lot of navel gazing along the way. The ending was worth the trip though, and though this is not Deborah Moggach's best, it's not her worst either. I liked the way she summed up the simplicity of male friendships: 'There they were in the depot, horsing around. "Wotcha" they'd say, and I'd say "wotcha" back.' A generalisation perhaps but it sounds OK to me. ( )