I saw a man

The stunning new novel from Owen Sheers - as heard on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime.

Shortlisted for the Prix Femina Étranger 2015The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door. After the sudden loss of his wife, Michael Turner moves to London and quickly develops a close friendship with the Nelson family next door.

Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home.

Despite this, the new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.

Michael is left bearing a burden of grief and a secret he must keep, but the truth can only be kept at bay for so long. Moving from London and New York to the deserts of Nevada, I Saw a Man is a brilliant exploration of violence, guilt and attempted redemption, written with the pace and grip of a thriller.

Owen Sheers takes the reader from close observation of the domestic sphere to some of the most important questions and dilemmas of the contemporary world.