In Glenn Patterson’s novel, Number 5 is a three-bedroom terrace house in suburban Belfast. From the 1950s to the present day, successive occupants fill the house with their troubles and joys. As fashions and tastes change according to each of Number 5’s owners, so the social fault lines of the city shift. Yet the presence of those who have gone before lingers on.

In the 50s Stella and Harry are first-time buyers. A £1200 mortgage will commit them until 1984, but as they soon discover there is so much more to making a home and a marriage than merely paying the mortgage. And so life in Number 5 begins.

Author: Glenn Patterson
Bronagh Waugh reads Part 1 – FALOON.
Produced and abridged by Eoin O’Callaghan
Executive Editor: Andy Martin Show less