Train Man: A heart-breaking, life-affirming story of loss and new beginnings

'Brilliant... profoundly affecting. A beautiful story' - RUTH JONES, author of Never Greener ****** Michael is a broken man. He's waiting for the 09.46 to Gloucester, so as to reach Crewe for 11.22: the platforms are long at Crewe and he can walk easily into the path of a high-speed train to London. He's planned it all: a net of tangerines (for when the refreshments trolley is cancelled), and a juice carton, full of whisky. He longs to silence the voices in his head: ex-partners, colleagues, and the unbearable memories of work and school. What Michael hasn't factored in, however, is a twelve-minute delay. He's going to miss his connection - and make a few new ones... ****** 'An absorbing novel...set in the comic wonderland of the English rail network ' Daily Mail 'Carefully crafted and with an undertow of melancholy, Train Man is reminiscent of Nick Hornby's high-concept scenarios ' Guardian 'Mulligan's prose...delivers a strong human story with impressive skill' Mail on Sunday Michael is waiting for the 09.46 to Gloucester, so as to reach Crewe for 11.22. He's planned it all: a net of tangerines (for when the refreshments trolley is cancelled), and a juice carton, full of neat whisky. To make identification swift, he has taped his last credit card to the inside of his shoe. What Michael hasn't factored in is a twelve-minute delay, which risks him missing his connection, and making new ones. He longs to silence the voices in his own head: ex-girlfriends, colleagues, and the memories from his schooldays, decades old. They all torment him. What Michael needs is somebody to listen