A rich, compelling and beautiful story of a marriage and the secrets a family holds...

'Sparkling with emotional intelligence. A gripping portrait of a marriage and the quiet, devastating fall-out of family life' Independent

'A real craftsman, a master storyteller. Quite simply, you believe every word he tells you' Independent on Sunday

Julian is a contented if naïve only child, and a holiday on the coast of North Cornwall should be perfect, especially when distant American cousins join the party. But their arrival brings upheaval and unexpected turmoil.

It is only as a seemingly well-adjusted adult that Julian is able to reflect on the realities of his parents' marriage, and to recognise that the happy, cheerful boyhood he thought was his is infused with secrets, loss and the memory of betrayals that have shaped his life.

'His clear, unforced prose sucks one in effortlessly' Daily Mail

What readers say about ROUGH MUSIC:

'I'm always impressed by his perceptive powers of observation, of his psychological insight and of his assured handling of his material' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'He takes apart a family teetering on the brink of not really knowing each other, or of being in denial of what they know, and analyses their actions and deeds in an almost forensic detail. A really great book' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'The emotional perspective is something Patrick Gale not only understands but relishes in his writing. His characterisations are superb' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Sparkling with emotional intelligence. A gripping portrait of a marriage and quiet, devastating fall-out of family life * Independent *
Sparkling with emotional intelligence. A gripping portrait of a marriage and quiet, devastating fall-out of family life * Independent *
A subtle, highly evocative tale of memory and desire * Mail on Sunday *
A subtle, highly evocative tale of memory and desire * Mail on Sunday *
Like the sea he describes so well, Patrick Gale's clear, unforced prose sucks one in effortlessly * Daily Mail *
Like the sea he describes so well, Patrick Gale's clear, unforced prose sucks one in effortlessly * Daily Mail *
A painfully acute but never reproachful examination of a past that will not vanish * Daily Telegraph *
A painfully acute but never reproachful examination of a past that will not vanish * Daily Telegraph *
A real craftsman, a master storyteller
A real craftsman, a master storyteller

Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight and now lives on a farm near Land's End. One of this country's best-loved novelists, his most recent works are A Place Called Winter, Take Nothing With You and Mother's Boy. His BBC 'Queer Britannia' television drama, Man In An Orange Shirt, was shown to great acclaim in 2017 and won an International Emmy Award.