What Falls Apart By Torben Betts

What Falls Apart centres on a middle-class Labour politician who clearly set out as a Bennite, and who perhaps became somewhat seduced by the Blair revolution and the coming of political power in 1997, but who now, secretly, feels extremely lost. He voted for the Iraq war in 2003, despite massive reservations, in order to toe the line and hopefully rise up the chain of command. Now, inwardly disillusioned, not without a degree of self-loathing, and with a growing mid-life crisis, he finds himself standing for election. He has, as a consequence of all this inner turmoil, developed a bit of a drink problem.

Ultimately Tom Savage is struggling to forgive himself over Iraq but over the course of this one dark night of his soul he must also negotiate a beautiful woman who seems to want to lure him further into damnation and a somewhat talkative and eccentric barman who lectures him on the perils of alcohol and tries to convert him to Buddhism.

Let the party begin...