Invisible

Tom, in his mid-thirties, sells his London pub chain (themed around Charles Dickens' novels), splits with his girlfriend and moves to rural west Oxfordshire. There he begins a relationship with Sarah, which he recounts later as a form of writing therapy. Having trained as a potter, Sarah owns an Oxford gallery and lives with Welsh Brit Art sculptor, Griff, in a battlemented Victorian tower. To her diaries she confides the history of her secret life. Invisible is a dystopian romance in which the characters struggle against obsession and misunderstandings in their quest for happiness. It is set against the topsy-turvy backdrop of New Labour's Britain. "The topic of eating disorders is a central theme of Invisible. The main female character struggles with bulimia and [Frank Egerton] says his desire to write about it was sparked by watching a close friend's similar battle. 'A friend had a chronic eating disorder which she began to confront in her mid-30s after living with it for 20 years. But when she finally got treatment, nothing was tailored to someone of her age. It is something that is not really talked about. People know about the acute form that happens to teenagers but adult sufferers do not get much attention.' While researching the book, he was surprised by the number of people who confided they had experienced some type of obsessive compulsive disorder or cutting. He added: 'Using these experiences and the fact that I went through a mild form of OCD in my teens, I built up a composite picture. But I wanted to broaden the book to look at obsession in all its many forms.'" Interview with Frank Egerton by Gill Oliver for The Oxford Times

About the Author :
Frank Egerton studied English at Keble College, Oxford, and from 1995 to 2008 reviewed fiction for a variety of publications, including The Times, TLS and Financial Times. He teaches creative writing for the University of Oxford and is interested in both the close examination of fiction and how recent technologies such as ebooks and print-on-demand are changing the publishing industry and offering fresh opportunities to writers. He is a member of the Society of Authors and AWP, and is a former editor of the Oxford Writer. He was chair of Writers in Oxford from 2008 to 2010. His first novel The Lock was published in 2003 and the ebook version reached the finals of the Independent e-Book Awards in Santa Barbara. His second novel Invisible was published by StreetBooks in October 2010. He is currently working on his third novel.

Review :
"A lovely and beguiling book...full of brambles and sunlight." Frank Cottrell Boyce "This is Posy Simmonds territory; we're among fretful middle-class types who take themselves very seriously and make an enormous meal of every bit of slap-and-tickle. That these people are bearable company is entirely down to the author's lively wit and acute understanding of the emotional landscape." Kate Saunders, The Times "If you are looking for a happy romantic novel then I would say look further. If you want a book that deals with REAL issues in relationships then look NO further!" The Mole, Our Book Reviews Online "An absorbing story of love and betrayal...interestingly constructed, as befits an author with a profound understanding of narrative form...The psychology is sharp, the evocation of place and action precise and memorable. A really good read." Dennis Hamley, The Oxford Writer "Endearing read, due to good narrator character - a real tryer who has a lot to learn. The theme of anorexia is clearly well understood and treated with empathy. The west Oxfordshire countryside, the micro brewery, all make up a rich context. I felt there were in the last third too many minor characters and that the second main character rather faded out. All in all though, very memorable and interesting read." Anonymous reader, Oxfordshire Libraries Catalogue