Book description
From the author of A Perfectly Good Man, the bestselling story of an
artist tormented by depression and the toll of creativity.
When troubled artist Rachel Kelly dies she leaves behind an
extraordinary body of work - but for her family there is a legacy of
secrets and painful revelations.
Rachel exerts a power that outlives her. To her children she is both
curse and blessing, as they cope with the inheritance of her passions -
and demons. Only their father's gift of stillness can withstand Rachel's
destructive influence and the suspicion that they all came a poor second
to her art.
Piecing together the clues of her life - as artist, lover, mother, wife
and patient - takes the reader from Cornwall to Canada across a span of
forty years. What emerges is a tender story of enduring love, and a
portrait of a family coping with the sometimes too dazzling brilliance
of a genius. 'I was completely enthralled by "Notes from an
Exhibition." Patrick's Gale's prose grows ever more acrobatic and
heartstopping, though somehow he never seems to be showing off. And few
writers have grasped the twisted dynamics of family the way Gale has.
There's really no one he can't inhabit, understand and forgive.'
Armistead Maupin
'All the characters are dimensional and heartbreaking. It is a book
saturated with love and humanity. And it has a great last line.' Barbara Gowdy
'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout, this is an engrossing portrait of
a troubled and remarkable character. A fine writer at the top of his
game.' Mail on Sunday
'This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as
ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.' Guardian
'A tender, powerful novel.' The Gloss
'This is a book full of insight, intelligence and quiet humour familiar
from his previous masterpiece, “Rough Music”.' Image magazine
'Gale moves seamlessly between different characters, and from past to
present, so we never the narrative thrust. An excellent summer read.'
Psychologies magazine
'His sense of place is utterly coherent and he makes the background
easy to navigate…the writing itself is so unpretentious, and Gale brings
such patience and generosity to the story, that one cannot help but
respond to his uplifting faith in human nature.' New Statesman Patrick
Gale was born in 1962 on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at
Winchester and Oxford and now writes full time.
