When his fiance breaks off their engagement, Patrick Oxtoby leaves home and moves into a boarding house in a remote seaside town. But in spite of his hopes and determination to build a better life, nothing goes to plan and Patrick is soon driven to take a desperate and chilling course of action. This is How is a mesmerising and meticulously drawn portrait of a man whose unease in the world leads to his tragic undoing. With breathtaking wisdom and an astute insight into the human mind, award-winning M.J. Hyland's new book is a masterpiece that inspires horror and sympathy in equal measure.

Author Biography

MJ Hyland was born in London to Irish parents in 1968. She studied law and English at the University of Melbourne, and is the author of two previous novels, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, and CARRY ME DOWN, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and winner of the Hawthornden Prize. Hyland now lives in Manchester.