One of the Observer's Debut Novels of 2024

From award-winning journalist Tom Lamont comes a funny, achingly sad, sneakily wise story of family and what happens when three men - all of whom are completely ill-suited for fatherhood - take charge of a toddler following his mother's sudden death
For fans of Sarah Winman, Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies and films like Boyhood and Aftersun.

A best book of the year for the Guardian, Economist and Daily Express
An Observer debut of the year
'Exceptionally touching . A terrific reminder that what binds us to our loved ones isn't blood but the care we take to keep them close, and our ability to show up for them when we screw it up on the first go-round'
NEW YORK TIMES

'Gently comic, bittersweet'
GUARDIAN, Books of the year

'A poignant and generous story'
TESSA HADLEY, DAILY EXPRESS Books of the Year

'In an unsentimental evocation of fatherhood and male friendship, this novel explores the glory and sacrifice involved in learning to love'
ECONOMIST, Books of the year

'Pepped up and gorgeous, just bristling with life'
OLIVIA LAING, GUARDIAN

'Brilliantly observed'
NEW YORKER

'A beautiful, funny tale of lives new and old'
SUNDAY TIMES

'I loved it . word-perfect'
INDIA KNIGHT

'A spirit-lifting debut'
DAVID MITCHELL

'I adored every moment. The characters have stayed with me ever since'
BELLA MACKIE

Téo Erskine might have a steady job and a brand-new London flat, but underneath the surface, he's still the boy seeking approval from his father, Vic; the young man playing late-night poker with his best friend, Ben; the one still in love with the enigmatic Lia, now a single mum to a young boy, Joel.

When the unthinkable happens, two-year-old Joel finds himself at the centre of this odd constellation of men - Téo, Vic, Ben. None of them is fully equipped to look after him, but their tentative attempts at love might just be enough to offer him a new place to call home.