Things Can Only Get Better: An absolutely heartwarming and uplifting read

David M. Barnett

Nov 2019 · Trapeze · Narrated by David Thorpe

About this audiobook

*FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CALLING MAJOR TOM*

'I loved it. Nostalgic without being saccharine, hopeful, real characters with edge. A brilliant book.' - Hayley Webster

For elderly churchwarden Arthur Calderbank, there's no place like home. His home just so happens to be a graveyard.

He keeps himself to himself, gets on with his job, and visits his wife everyday for a chat. When one day he finds someone else has been to see his wife - and has left flowers on her grave - he is determined to solve the mystery of who and why. He receives unlikely help from a group of teenage girls determined to break out of the poverty trap by emulating their Britpop heroes and forming a band, and as Arthur and the girls try to find answers, he soon learns that there is more to life than being surrounded by death.

Set when we were all common people and things could only get better, this is an uplifting story about the power of a little kindness, friendship and community, for readers who enjoy Sue Townsend, Ruth Hogan and Joanna Cannon.

About the author

David M Barnett is an writer and journalist based in West Yorkshire. He is the author of Calling Major Tom, The Handover and several other novels. He writes for the Guardian, Observer, Independent and other media, as well as writing comic books for publishers and titles including DC Comics and 2000AD. David was born in Wigan, Lancashire, and is married to Claire, also a journalist. They have two children, Charlie and Alice.