80,611 Words

A care home resident needs help to organise her hundredth birthday extravaganza, but her maid has disappeared. A care assistant promises her deceased partner she’ll reunite his sister with the child she gave up for adoption eight decades before. A widow doesn’t want anyone to know she was adopted, especially not her son. A cancer patient conceals his diagnosis from his mother, while hoping he’ll be well enough for his wedding next spring. As England goes into lockdown, their plans go awry. Amid the claustrophobia, the Black Lives Matter protests erupt. Who will have the courage to confront their hidden history before it’s too late? Rooted in injustice, balanced with humour, The Age of Staggered Breathing is an ultimately uplifting story about how no-one is too old or infirm to make a difference.