Reasons of the Heart

When the sharp ring of the telephone and Jonno's voice shatter Fred Musgrove's carefully ordered life, he is forced to confront his past: memories of city days with his invalid mother and lively aunt; an isolated boyhood with farming foster parents prodding him towards a Wholesome Christian Marriage; Elwyn, who ended the pretence. But at the centre of Fred's universe is Jonathan, the boy who followed him a long a rainy street to sell him a newspaper ... In his recounting, Fred looks for the patterns in his life which might explain his nature. This is a powerful story which replays ancient themes of sex, guilt, power and, above all, love.