The News Where You Are: A Novel
O'Flynn follows her Costa-winning debut, What Was Lost, with a strong sophomore effort set in her hometown of Birmingham, England. Frank Allcroft has a loving wife and daughter, and a comfortable life as a local TV news anchor, but years of reporting soft news has left him dissatisfied. As that dissatisfaction reaches its nadir, the demolition of buildings designed by his late father, the somewhat mysterious death of his on-screen partner and mentor, Phil, and Frank's obsession with people who die alone lead him down a path of self-discovery. Along the way, Frank comes to terms with some lingering family issues and learns what really happened to Phil, but, in the end, it is Frank's daughter, Mo, who powers the biggest change. The mystery of Phil's death, unfortunately, comes across as little more than a plot device, but, as with most novels of middle-aged spiritual humdrum, the story is only as strong as its hero, and, in Frank, O'Flynn's created a winning if slightly pale near-everyman lost soul.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.