Bernard, a four-year-old, navigates a chaotic family dynamic where his mother has unconventional views on work and his grandfather struggles with poor judgment and questionable friends. While his grandmother Nora attempts to maintain some stability, her presence is limited, leaving Bernard to cope with the challenges of his dysfunctional household. The story explores themes of family, resilience, and the innocence of childhood amidst adult complexities.
Struggling with unemployment and a recent divorce, Alex Stone recalls a scheme he once devised with his ex-wife to acquire a valuable wristwatch from his father, who is now in a care home due to dementia. Traveling to North Wales, he finds work and shares an apartment with a woman seeking romance, while he remains emotionally detached. This journey explores themes of desperation, familial ties, and the complexities of new relationships amidst personal turmoil.
On the face of it Pengele is a quiet, nondescript, market town in North Wales. Under the surface, however, some ambitious residents seek to enhance their perceived self-importance by implementing change. Others hope to maintain the status quo. The constant turmoil results in a climax of both tragedy and happiness.
At Kilchester Primary School the headmaster, Bradley Hawkins, has his hands full. When in the middle of a nits outbreak he is asked to report to the school governors on the students' progress in written English, he accepts an offer of help from his English-graduate neighbour, the man-hungry Trixie Smith.
Residual Waste is set in a small Staffordshire town where public services and residents are under increasing financial pressures. Both the Chelford Town Recycling Centre and Town End Care Home face the threat of closure. Meanwhile, a series of burglaries occur at the recycling centre and the care home and the evidence points to an inside job.
The brochure from The Cryonics Association comes at a critical time for Joe Fenton. He had been enjoying life. Then came the diagnosis - terminal cancer. Here was the chance to be frozen and brought back to life when medical knowledge has advanced. Joe seizes the chance to live again, but he cannot imagine what kind of future it will be.