Patrick Gale's THE FACTS OF LIFE is a mesmerising, epic yet intimate novel of love, music and the life events that stay with us forever

'Absorbing . . . deftly characterised, deeply involving and relevant' The Times

German composer Edward Pepper escapes to England just before the second world war begins in earnest. Struck with TB, he is recuperating in hospital when he meets Sally, a young doctor who has battled her way through medical school, despite the opposition of her parents. They fall in love and marry, settling in the fenlands of East Anglia.

Years later, Edward watches as his grandchildren trip up against life - and death - and realises that patterns can repeat themselves, bringing both pain and unexpected discovery.

'Impossible to put down' Daily Telegraph

What readers loved about THE FACTS OF LIFE:

'Gale is a master of his craft. Yet again I was swept along by the characters - I think this is one of his best books' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'What a brilliant story teller Patrick Gale is. Excellent plot and so easy to read with a vocabulary which was quite magical and flowed like honey' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Absorbing . . . deftly characterised, deeply involving and relevant * The Times *
Impossible to put down * Daily Telegraph *
A monumental feat of imagination, achingly true and beautiful. I'd be hard pressed to recall the last time a novel so totally captivated me * Armistead Maupin *
Gale's best and most complex novel * New Statesman *
[An] extraordinary blockbuster of a novel * Time Out *

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.