This Shining Life

Exquisitely written debut about family, loss and our need to understand the meaning of life and death.

Lovable, easy-going, charming Rich is dying of a brain tumour. Life and soul of every party, adored and relied upon by his family and in particular by his autistic son Ollie, no-one wants to believe what is unfolding in front of them.

In an effort to convey his love for them Rich decides to send each of his close relations a present. He asks for Ollie's help, but the combination of Rick's vagueness and the pressure that Ollie feels means the task does not go quite to plan.

And then more suddenly than expected, Rick dies. How the family learns to comes to terms with the catastrophe, and move on is at the centre of this beautifully written and uplifting novel.

About the Author

Harriet Kline is an author who also works part-time registering births, deaths, and marriages. Her short stories have won several awards and have been published with Litro, For Books' Sake, and Short Story Sunday and on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Bristol, England, with her partner and two teenage sons. This Shining Life is her first novel.