Dr James Darke has expelled himself from the world. He writes
compulsively in his 'coming of old age' journal; he eats little, drinks
and smokes a lot; he tries to console himself with the wisdom of the
great thinkers and poets, yet finds nothing but disappointment. But
cracks of light start to appear in his carefully managed darkness - the
tender, bruised filaments of love for his daughter and grandson. With
scalding prose, ruthless intelligence and an unforgettably vivid
protagonist, Darke confronts some of humanity's greatest and most
uncomfortable questions about how we choose to live, and to die.