Left and Leaving (Paperback)

Photographer Gil is on an extended grey gap-year, working in the London hospital to which Vivian brings Irene for emergency treatment; together they try to establish calm amid the chaos. Irene is thrilled with her 'guardian angels', they less so with her ongoing interest in their lives. Gil has a girlfriend, living in the same building as him, and a troublesome family back home. Thirty-something Vivian has a high-flying boyfriend, an irascible father and a demanding job. But they keep finding reasons to spend time together in the run up to Christmas. And still there is Irene, intent on filling the holes in her life. Marooned in Tooting by a sudden snowstorm, Vivian and Gil are forced to spend the holiday confronting secrets and responsibilities they've been complacent about for too long.