The Good Guy

Susan Beale

Abigail's neighbours think her husband Ted is a good guy because he washes the dishes and folds the laundry. Frankly, he's a bit of a pillock, but I couldn't help other than like him. I loved the retro feel of this novel, the period details are top-notch - all the trappings of 1960's suburban life are there. Although this is a book with a sad story at its heart, it is alleviated with snappy dialogue and moments of laugh out loud humour.

Extract

With Penny, it was as if he had been presented with a blank canvas and, keeping in mind Ken Schmidt's admonition not to be boring, he eagerly covered it in bold strokes and bright colours. The Ted Penny knew had travelled to more places, read more books and knew more interesting people. He had put himself through college at the University of Colorado, playing football and working for ski patrol; spent time in the service and done a stint in Vietnam with the CIA. And the truly amazing thing, the really beautiful thing, was how real it felt.

Parallels