Forncett Village Info

The book opens with the narrator, Christopher, finding his neighbour’s dog dead on the lawn.

This would be a most traumatic experience for anyone, but Christopher tells us he feels sad. He does not appear to be very disturbed by the fact that someone has obviously killed the dog with a garden fork, and that it leaks blood from the holes; the reader, therefore, becomes aware quite early on that Christopher is a bit different to other people.

The Forncett Reading Group was formed in December 2007 following a plea for members in the Forncett Flyer. As a resident of Forncett, I had long wanted to join a reading group, but found that all those in the Wymondham/Long Stratton vicinity were either full or met at times inconvenient to myself. The Flyer notice brought forward sufficient book addicts and we met first to discuss our ‘way forward’.

We all agreed to meet monthly in the evenings at each others homes. We soon discovered that we all had a fondness for the odd glass of wine, so our monthly meetings have developed into a discussion of the book just read, a glass or two, and a longer chat about the world in general.

Part travelogue; part love story / piano tuner’s instruction manual, and thriller; sadly this book never quite makes up its mind what it is.

Piano tuner Edgar Drake is commissioned to travel to Burma to tune a grand piano owned by Dr Carroll, medic, peace-maker and intermediary between the various tribes and the English Government. Shy, quiet Edgar takes leave of his wife of eighteen years, and boards a boat.