Estranged from her second husband, Jonathan, Clare Lyall is less sure
than ever about the role men should play in her life. Her first husband,
Richard, was much older than her, and his casual disregard for youth
gradually hardened into indifference. And Jonathan, if anything, was too
easy--too attentive, too concerned, and just a little too pedantic. So
when she meets Joshua Heron at a party, the offbeat Clare isn't exactly
thirsting for love. But she is mildly impressed when Joshua stubs his
cigarette out on his thumb, and swayed still further by the advice of
her new friend, the indomitable Mrs Fox.
"Take a lover," she says. "It's better to have a lover when you're young
than neurosis when you're old...."
Gentle, wistful and wry, Nowhere Girl is a beautifully controlled love
story from the Booker Prize winning author of The Elected Member.