Description
Book SynopsisThe Times Best Novels of 2020
''Clever, witty and perceptive . . . Gekoski writes movingly about love, loss and grief, while handling the difficult issue of assisted dying with considerable balance and finesse. Beautifully written, engrossing and heartbreakingly funny'' Mail on Sunday
''Stylish, funny and daring . . . the clarity and energy of Darke Matter fill you with light'' The Times (best summer books)
''Harrowing, funny, tender and nearly always beautifully written'' Sunday Times
James Darke is dreading the first family Christmas without his wife Suzy. Engulfed by grief, his grudging preparations are interrupted by a persistent knock at the door. Questions about the circumstances of his wife''s death force him to confront the outside world and what really happened to her.
Isolated, angry and diminished, James soon faces a crisis both legal and psychological. It will test his resol
Trade Review
Clever, witty and perceptive . . . Gekoski writes movingly about love, loss and grief, while handling the difficult issue of assisted dying with considerable balance and finesse. Beautifully written, engrossing and heartbreakingly funny -- Simon Humphreys * Mail on Sunday *
A funny and stylish novel provides light in the dark . . . The central, delicate issue of assisted dying is given a fully rounded perspective by a range of intelligent voices . . . It's hard to fault Gekoski's writing, or the splendid character he has created. This book is even more stylish, funny and daring than his last. It enthusiastically embraces so many subjects, from the nothingness-but-everythingness of words to how foie gras should never come out of a tin. Contrary to its punny title, the clarity and energy of Darke Matter fill you with light -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times *
A winningly sweet and sour grumpy-old-man comedy, mixing knockabout gags with heart-swelling tenderness -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Mail *
Harrowing, funny, tender and nearly always beautifully written -- Matthew Adams * Sunday Times *
Supremely accomplished * Economist *
Gekoski writes with pace, wit and a lovely eye for telling detail . . . his command of the issue of assisted dying is masterly . . . a fine read. It should go straight into the A-Level English syllabus as a set text * Jewish Chronicle *
But what enriches this novel beyond the predictable is the skilled way Gekoski entwines his protagonist's nightmarish experience of being hounded and vilified . . . * The Critic *
