A dying man takes a road trip with his son who has Down’s syndrome; he wants to mark their last few weeks together so becomes a census taker, travelling in an old car where, if there’s nothing better, they spend the night.
This structure gives the author the opportunity to link a range of odd characters and strange settings together, and provides the space for the narrator, a former surgeon to muse on life, parenthood, bereavement and bringing up a child with Down’s syndrome; both the challenges and the happiness.
A deeply moving short novel, based on the author’s own brother, told in simple, clear prose.
Ali Thurm 