- Publisher: Ah But Books
- Available in: Paperback, Kindle
- ISBN: 978-0-9935976-0-2
- Published: April 1, 2016
Risks, real and imagined, abound in this modern take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Martin’s office door was supposed to be shut, because it was a fire door. It was also supposed to be open, because he was a man.
Mr Harper is one of those teachers who hasn’t much time for rules; besides, he has other things on his mind. Overwhelming grief for the death of his wife is tainted by guilt and jealousy, and this easy-going, clever guy is, as the kids say, losing it.
Enter Wendy Mundy, funny name, funny looks, a feisty seventeen year old who knows about loss. This is the one innocent relationship in a world where rumour is easily traded. When the school Classics trip visits a volcanic region, truths rise to the surface.
From estuary Essex to the sunshine of Italy, this is a story told with warmth and humour which gives us all permission to care.
“This satisfyingly constructed novel offers a sensitive portrayal of bereavement…” Gill Oliver has created a gallery of vivid and often comic characters and a plot which takes the reader from southern Essex to southern Italy on a school trip that will strike a familiar chord with any teacher who has organised one! The idiocies, conflicts and dangers of life in a modern school are well drawn in part one, and when the author ratchets up suspense and emotion in the second part of the novel the reader wonders whether disaster is truly imminent and what form it might take. A thoughtful and witty first novel from Gill Oliver – I will definitely want to read the next.”
“… truly absorbing! Full of spot-on details about Italy and the world of education – she has a wicked sense of humour which I loved. Looking forward to the next one.”
…”an enjoyable, interesting story which has lots of lovely descriptions and several amusing observations. Well worth a second read.”