People of the Book

In this exceptional and thought-provoking debut from Thomas Ulrome the author explores themes of empathy in two compelling novellas. In a small community in Cambridgeshire a widow on the verge of finding love again but anchored to a feckless brother who does not want her to move on finds new meaning in the sorrow of a grieving mother in Yorkshire. As their powerful connection defies geography and religion a moving story unfolds.In London thirty years later another story develops. As every newspaper front page shows the image of a drowned refugee child a woman tries to come to terms with her reaction one that seems to be at odds with her family and society around her. Where they have empathy she has anger: is she a racist or a realist? In a story that challenges how we view media stories and our society Thomas Ulrome takes us on a journey into a modern tragedy where there is more than one way to drown.