The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman

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Norman is covered in psoriasis and keeps mostly to himself. But he and Jax are "the bloody Rolls-bloody-Royce of bloody best friends." They look out for each other. Jax's death is not only hard on Norman, but also on Sadie. She's not used to having to entertain Norman and Jax always kept her up to date of what was going on with them when Norman would forget his phone.

With a plot that includes dodgy accommodation, dubious venues, and a fanciful Facebook profile, then builds to a hilarious climax involving a bizarre laundry rescue, a daring break-and-enter, chef’s whites and escape on a speeding moped, Henderson’s debut novel is funny, moving, heart-warming and uplifting, and more of this talented author will definitely be welcome. Recommended! Norman's mother Sadie also misses Jax. Not just for his friendship and what it meant to Norman but for his noisy and lively presence in their home and his never-ending schemes. A single mother, Sadie lost her father, a not very successful comedian, the year before Norman was born while she was away at University. Her grief and anger at his death lead her to a short period of drinking and one-night stands so she was never sure who Norman's father could be. With her family of two and her boring job with an obnoxious boss, she's not sure that she's a good mother to Norman but knows she has to do something to help him overcome his deep misery. When she spills all her woes to Leonard, an elderly pensioner who works part time with her, he comes up with a plan to help Norman and so the three of them set off on a road trip from their home in Penzance to Edinburgh. To be fair, it’s actually Norman’s idea, or is it Jax’s (Norman himself isn’t quite sure), and so with Leonard, her 80-something friend from work who is a dab hand at almost everything thanks to taking every community centre adult education class on offer, they set off to see if the future can indeed be rescue from the past. Sadie always put up with very naughty Jax because he had a certain lightness about him and laughed a lot and made Norman laugh. The two boys were never bored. Now though?Norman has psoriasis; this leaves his skin with red, itchy and dry patches that are sensitive to touch. Norman has always been a loner until he met Jax. Norman and Jax became the best of friends and had a dream of one day performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, but Norman is left to dream alone after Jax suddenly passes away. One of those gorgeous books that completely lifts your spirits and restores your faith in humanity' - Ruth Jones, co-creator of Gavin and Stacey and bestselling author of Us Three

courtesy IMP Awards) Creative inspiration can come from all kinds of strange, beautiful and unexpected places – a waterfall at sunset, a colourfully-dressed woman on a train at peak hour or a snippet of history, long forgotten but dredged up to fill a social media post with a fascinating factoid. Continue Reading In this book, readers are introduced to twelve year old Norman and his mother, Sadie. Norman was part of a comedy duo but his best friend, the funnier half of that duo, passed away suddenly. In an effort to help her son cope, Sadie sets out on a journey with Norman to find his father. But Sadie isn’t really sure who he is, as there were a lot of candidates!

I felt the world slow down, shudder and grind to a halt as I looked into my son’s eyes and all of a sudden realized with absolute clarity what I’d been way too blinded by my own sadness to notice since Jax had died. Norman was so much braver than I would ever be.”