Edward is throwing a dinner party with Binny , his mistress. Aware that she has long been denied those small intimacies that his wife takes for granted - choosing a birthday present for his sister, for example, or sorting his socks - he wants to give her a chance to feel more involved in his life, to socialise with some of his friends (the discreet ones). Things are a little awkward to begin with - a late start and him having to be away by half past ten - but everything seems to be going well. But then some uninvited, and reather forceful guests arrive, and it doesn't look like Edward is going to make it home on time.

* review round-ups in the national press

About the Author
Beryl Bainbridge wrote seventeen novels, two travel books and five plays for stage and television, she was shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, and won literary awards including the Whitbread Prize and the Author of the Year Award at the British Book Awards. She died in July 2010.

Reviews
I found myself laughing till the tears ran down my cheeks ... it is all horribly true to life ... a most excellent book and no one should miss it * Auberon Waugh *
Painfully comical and well observed ... the constant frissons of anxiety and embarassment make it all the funnier * SUNDAY TIMES *
Beryl Bainbridge is a genuine original, with a macabre imagination and a wonderful gift for catching tones of speech * NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349116112
Author Beryl Bainbridge
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 155g
Dimensions(mm) 130mm * 160mm * 197mm