Francis, Richard

(British, 1945– )

Francis has lived in North Africa, the United States, and Manchester, where he worked as Professor of Creative Writing. Start with Taking Apart the Poco Poco (1995), which tells the story of one day in the life of an ordinary family, from the point of view of each family member including (very entertainingly) the dog. Each character meets dramas and traumas of which the others know nothing; as do the characters in Fat Hen (1999), another novel of family life, set in Stockport in 1948. This book is particularly good on the double life of Jack, who is away on holiday with his wife and family on the prearranged day when his mistress, Ruth, goes to Stockport registry office expecting to marry him. Francis makes the complicated double dealings and everyday betrayals of family life both comic and real, yet innocent of malice.

David Flusfeder, Nigel Williams, Mark Twain  JR