Step into the world of the 1950s Chelsea bedsit, where Richard - young, gay and struggling to find himself - meets the irrepressible Chuck. INTRODUCED BY ALAN HOLLINGHURST When Richard agrees to share a flat with Chuck, his life takes a strange new lurch. Chuck is enormous, ebullient, and more than a trifle camp. He is also violently jealous of Richard and his growing relationship with George. Gentle, unworldly Richard is at risk of being overpowered - but he is an orphan with a tenacious desire to learn how to love. Deeply original, eccentric and funny, this is a story about finding family in a gay community and discovering who you really are. 'A hilarious book' Rachel Cusk, The Times 'An extraordinary novel by a genuinely original talent' Beryl Bainbridge 'Expertly crafted, emotionally affecting and heroically unfashionable' Guardian.