The Executor

What matters most- marriage or friendship? fidelity or art? the wishes of the living or the talents of the dead? Matt Holmes finds himself considering these questions sooner than he thinks when his friend, the poet Robert Pope, dies unexpectedly. Rob had invited Matt to become his literary executor at their annual boozy lunch, pointing out that, at 60, he was likely to be around for some time yet. And Matt, having played devotee and apprentice to 'the bow-tie poet' for so long, hadn't the heart (or the gumption) to deny him. Now, after a frosty welcome from his widow, Matt sits at Rob's rosewood desk and ponders his friend's motives. He has never understood Rob's conventional life with Jill, who seems to have no interest in her late husband's work. But he soon finds himself in an ethical minefield, making shocking and scabrous discoveries that overturn everything he thought he knew about his friend. As Jill gets to work in the back garden, Matt is forced to weigh up the merits of art and truth. Should he conceal what he has found or share it? After all, it's not just Rob's reputation that could be transformed forever... Bestselling novelist and poet Blake Morrison creates a biting portrait of competitive male friendship, sexual obsession and the fragile transactions of married life. The Executor innovatively interweaves poetry and prose to form a gripping literary detective story.

About the Author :
Born in Skipton, Yorkshire, Blake Morrison is the author of bestselling memoirs, And When Did You Last See Your Father? (winner of the J.R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography and the Esquire Award for Non-Fiction) and Things My Mother Never Told Me ('the must read book of the year' - Tony Parsons),. He also wrote a study of the disturbing child murder, the Bulger case, As If. His acclaimed recent novels include South of the River and The Last Weekend. He is also a poet, critic, journalist and librettist. He lives in South London.

Review :
A novel of multi-level brilliance, which offers a smart, funny mystery built around ethical concerns over privacy and biography, while casting a beady eye on workplace politics and male midlife crises Adept, attentive and occasionally beautiful ... When the poetry starts to break through, the book comes alive – reverberatingly, ravishingly so. Everything is illuminated... enter the revivifying excitements of adultery, incest, euthanasia; sex and lust and love; dreams, mortality and death... exquisitely metered, intimate and yet profound, glimmeringly intelligent, slyly sensual ... A worthwhile, interesting and impressive achievement Generously and skilfully written ... The unravelling of the novel’s moral perplexity is both ingenious and persuasive… A pleasing and very satisfying novel. A dark and compelling tale of what we leave behind us when we die A stylist and satirical take on Kindle-era publishing, and is also a timely interrogation on the pertinence of "rampant masculinity" in contemporary fiction. A clever, neatly constructed mystery -- and the poems are the best thing about it Many pleasures ... Matt's domestic scenes confirm how good Morrison is on family life A cunning literary novel… Seriously probing about poetry, its origins and repercussions. Entertaining, well written and acute ... Morrison has an observant eye Morrison's prose is easy, stylish ... it is often elegant in the way it depicts marriage, secrecy, and the fragile relationships between friends and spouses A compelling story about the ties that bind us and the power of the written word.