The Night Listener

A tense psychological thriller based on real events, from the author of the beloved Tales of the City series.

'His most mature, mellow and moving novel yet' Independent

'A mystery studded with elegant twists and turns' New York Times Book Review

'Absorbing, sophisticated, funny and touching' Sunday Times

'A tremendous, hugely satisfying read' Time Out

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 Noone's 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 he's always wanted. Thus begins an extraordinary friendship that only grows deeper as the boy's health deteriorates.

Then, out of the blue, troubling new questions arise, exploding Noone's 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.