Annie lives in a dull town on England's bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who's gone into seclusion in rural America. When Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected consequences for all three.

Nick Hornby was born in 1957. He has written five previous novels (including the YA novel Slam), two of which have been made into highly successful films - About a Boy and High Fidelity, and three works of non-fiction including the classic Fever Pitch. He recently scripted the immemsely successful film An Education