In The Fowler Family Business Henry's life is unfolding much as he expected it would. Apart from the day, in adolescence, when his best friend fell to his death, life's random tragedies have missed him. He runs the family undertaking firm in south-east London and is respected by his peers. He is married and has two children. His best friend is now Curly, the brother of the late best friend. As he approaches his mid-40s, Henry sees his life as solid, organised and sensible. Yet when Curly, unable to father a child himself, asks Henry something only a best friend could ask, events are set in motion which utterly destroy Henry's world.

Jonathan Meades records the unravelling and disintegration of one man's sense of identity. He is superb at combining very precise observation of English suburban life with an over-the-top taste for grotesquerie and black comedy. As Henry Fowler spirals from complacent satisfaction with his lot into a nightmare of accidental deaths, sexual humiliation and terrible revelations, Meades invites the reader to join him in taking a gleeful, almost voyeuristic pleasure in the miseries he heaps on his character. For those who like their comedy to be dark, clever and unforgiving, this is a book to cherish. --Nick Rennison