Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 8 March 2012.
John O’Farrell’s novels are consistently funny, poking a stick at middle clash angst and embarrassing social situations. These are delivered in spades in this poignant and, at times, hilarious story of a man who simply forgets 30 years of his personal life. If you have never read any of John’s fiction books then don’t miss his provocative and highly entertaining May Contain Nuts.
Lots of husbands forget things: they forget that their wife had an important meeting that morning; they forget to pick up the dry cleaning; some of them even forget their wedding anniversary. But Vaughan has forgotten he even has a wife. Her name, her face, their history together, everything she has ever told him, everything he has said to her - it has all gone, mysteriously wiped in one catastrophic moment of memory loss. And now he has rediscovered her - only to find out that they are getting divorced. The Man Who Forgot His Wife is the funny, moving and poignant story of a man who has done just that. And who will try anything to turn back the clock and have one last chance to reclaim his life.
John O'Farrell is the author of four novels: The Man Who Forgot His Wife, May Contain Nuts, This Is Your Life and The Best a Man Can Get. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages and have been adapted for radio and television. He has also written two best-selling history books: An Utterly Impartial History of Britain and An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain, as well as a political memoir, Things Can Only Get Better and three collections of his column in The Guardian. A former comedy scriptwriter for such productions as Spitting Image, Room 101, Murder Most Horrid and Chicken Run, he is founder of the satirical website NewsBiscuitand can occasionally be spotted on such TV programmes as Grumpy Old Men, Question Time and Have I Got News for You.
