Black Dress

Not since Freud has sex been more in bed with death. She gets sharper and more mordant with age and about age. This page-turner is like the best wakes, it will make you feel hungry and alive'' The Times ''She really is the Nora Ephron of North London'' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she''ll find a party somewhere? Pru''s husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She''s missing not so much him, but the life they once had - nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there''s just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it. In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend''s funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn''t sound like the friend she knew. She''s gone to the wrong service, though it was more