It is October 1918 and London is gathering in its dead. For Henry Speake, of Speake & Son Undertakers, laying to rest the shattered young bodies of those sent home from the Front to die has become a grimly familiar duty. But what he is seeing now, as influenza claims its victims with increasing speed and force, is something different, and for the first time in his life, Henry feels afraid of death. Unable to share his fears with his waspish, disapproving sisters, Henry turns instead to Mrs Allen Thompson, a recently widowed school teacher, so beginning a friendship which gradually, stumblingly, pulls them in a direction neither is prepared for.

It is October 1918 and London is gathering in its dead. For Henry Speake, of Speake & Son Undertakers, laying to rest the bodies of those sent home from the Front to die has become a grimly familiar duty. But what he is seeing now, as a flu pandemic claims its victims with increasing speed and force, is something different, and for the first time in his life, Henry feels afraid of death.

About the Author
REINA JAMES lost two grandparents to the 1918 Spanish flu. This is her first novel.

Reviews
"'Rich and absorbing... a five-star weepie' The Times"


Awards
Winner of Mckitterick Prize 2008 (UK). Short-listed for Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best First Book.



Book Information
ISBN 9781846270468
Author Reina James
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 283g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 127mm * 21mm