First published 2006
Peter leads an unremarkable life as a middle-of-the-road solicitor in suburban London. His children are moving out, and he struggles to match the success of his neighbors and work colleagues. During a routine walk on his local common, Peter stumbles upon a large bag containing a mobile phone and hundreds of plastic packets filled with cocaine. In that crucial moment of discovery, Peter makes an instant decision about what to do with his find. This split-second choice will transform his ordinary existence forever. Kneale presents the story of an average man caught between survival instincts and moral obligations, ultimately failing at both. Peter's dilemma exposes the fragile nature of middle-class respectability and the desperation that lurks beneath suburban conformity.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-ambiguity, ordinary-person-in-extraordinary-circumstances, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London, Suburban London
Period: Contemporary
62 pages · Paperback · Picador
Content warnings: drug-use