The Laying on of Hands

Alan Bennett''s extraordinary ear for dialogue and sharpness of perception have made him a master storyteller. In Father! Father! Burning Bright he writes with tragicomic insight about a son''s vigil at his father''s deathbed where their lifelong battle continues to the end. The Laying on of Hands a brilliantly funny satire describes a society memorial service for a rather special masseur who died tragically young; and in Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet a lonely unmarried department store clerk discovers there''s more to life than looking after her brother through her only indulgence her podiatrist.