In the months following his sixtieth birthday party, Matthew Oxenhay has lost his job and - by chance - met a woman he was in love with before he went to university. His former boss Rupert has offered him the use of his old office and found a few intern-like jobs for him to do, while he negotiates the transition from work to retirement.

Matthew has still not told his wife, Judy, that he is no longer employed in trading futures in the City. In any case, the world of finance is in imploding turmoil.

Neither does Matthew confess to Anna that they have met before. Nevertheless, he sets off to visit her with some notion of romance in mind.

Jim Powell's short novel is a miniature tragi-comedy, blending elements of King Lear and Reggie Perrin. Mordant wit accompanies a spiralling mania with flashes of brilliant perception. Love and hope battle with a fear of change and the perilous appeal of an ending.

Author : Jim Powell
Reader : Toby Jones
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4. Show less