Forty-something Robert finds himself fallen from grace, in a midlife crisis, and sent on an enforced sabbatical in a Cornish fishing village. Cut off from his life in the City, he struggles with the loss of his career, wife, and home. He congratulates himself on never getting too emotionally involved with anyone, and this life philosophy considerably lessens the blow of his sudden dismissal and the betrayal of his wife and friends. Whilst exploring the Cornish countryside and coast, his curiosity is stirred by the local folklore and history, and soon the rugged land between the seas and its...

SUMMARY A novel set in contemporary Brighton, following a group of characters in their thirties and forties, pursuing very different lifestyles. Their lives are curiously intertwined, and in their quest for the meaning of life at the turn of the millennium, they sever friendships, dissolve relationships, form strange alliances and unlikely attachments. One of the central characters, Charlotte, has moved to Brighton with her boyfriend, Zak, in a last-ditch attempt to get their highly unsuccessful, four-year relationship back on track. Convinced that they only need to find the right place to...