How the Dead Live

This is the extraordinary story of a 65-yr-old woman who lies dying in a London hospital. As she's in the process of being ferried across to the other world (which turns out to be remarkably like this one), she reflects on her husbands, her children, her entire life. Brilliant and witty as always, Self has this time written a novel that carries a huge emotional punch in its portrait of a wonderful middle-aged woman - based apparently on his mother. 'He has shown that literature can still be great' - "Evening Standard".