Published by Unbound
Following his first novel in 2011, ex-Strangler and respected singer-songwriter Hugh Cornwell has written a second work of fiction.
Arnold Drive is a vicar of a small village church and is happy in his life, which is trundling serenely towards retirement.
But, when the church is sold to developers and he has to leave his home of thirty-five years, he finds that life after redundancy is a very different kettle of fish indeed.
Arnold is ill-prepared for the outside world, but with the help of a number of his parishoners he finds friendship, love and even sex.
He can no longer trust in The Lord and begins to take control of his own life and he discovers that people are not always what they seem.
All this and a near-fatal car accident has Arnold facing up to the fragility of sanity and hoe easily life can change.
Hugh Cornwell has created a superb everyman in the Reverend Drive, and one we can all relate to in some form.
His view of life after the church mirrors our views and he comes to question his faith in the same was as many of us have.
His one-dimensional views at the start are quite endearing and we come to sympathise with him and his journey to regain his faith.
An excellent book and one I didn’t want to put down. The story ends with an end to the first year of his life after being made redundant and perhaps the start of another chapter.
I sincerely hope that Mr Cornwell decides to write that next chapter in the life of Arnold Drive.