An intimate, warm and drily humorous novel which tells of the weeks following the death of the narrator's father, when he finds himself adrift: forced to spend time with his alcoholic mother, to accompany a nurse he gets increasingly fond of on random car journeys as she seeks out her missing dog, and ultimately to face exactly who his father was.

Nofel gynnes, ddoniol sy'n sôn am yr wythnosau yn dilyn marwolaeth tad y traethydd. Fe'i cafodd ei hun yn mynd ar grwydr; yn gorfod treulio amser gyda'i fam sy'n gaeth i alcohol; yn teithio gyda nyrs ar deithiau amrywiol wrth iddi chwilio am ei chi; ac yn y diwedd yn gorfod wynebu'r gwirionedd am gymeriad ei dad.

This is a small book with a huge heart and, when I reached the end, I wanted to go straight back to the beginning and read it all over again.

Lee is called as next of kin to the hospital where his father is in intensive care following a heart attack. He has had no contact with his father for many years and finds himself in an unfamiliar town, camping out in his father’s rather squalid home and spending hours at the bedside of a man he barely knows. A stranger in a strange place (both physically and emotionally), he is quickly befriended by two of the nurses attending his father and is later joined by his mother, Pet, which is something of a mixed blessing. The wry and tender narrative follows the development of Lee’s friendships with nurses Ann and Rita and explores the relationships, past and present, between mother, father and son.

It is clear from the outset that it is not only Ann’s dog, Quincy, who is lost. All of the characters – each one beautifully portrayed – are struggling to find their place, to find some sense and meaning in life. Rita draws sustenance from God and the rule book; Pet puts her faith in gin and old grievances; Lee ‘looks around for some small place of well-being’; and Ann tentatively continues her search for Quincy and for a human relationship that can match the sense of trust and intimacy she has experienced with her lost pet.

The Untogether is a poignant, desolate, funny, gently uplifting book that explores human frailties and failings with immense generosity of spirit. Nichols is not afraid to address ‘the leaden mess of life’, the enduring damage caused by wrong choices and the necessity of living with their consequences, but nor does he ever give up hope of change and redemption.

Suzy Ceulan Hughes

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.