The allure of fame when you are

The Handsomest Young Man in England.

The allure of desire

When you are adored by Both men and women.

What hope does Rupert have

When, apart from his charm, his only skills

Appear to be hindsight, regret and a yearning

To find his way home?

All of which are observed,

Noted and narrated by Eddie.

Who, even when calling upon

His own very special skills,

Still fails to stop the inevitable.

______________________________

Set primarily between 1910-1915, based on letters and anecdote, the novel is a fictionalised account of the last five years of Rupert Brooke’s life and the repercussions that followed beyond. A short and hectic life of abandonment and abandoned relationships, as Rupert rushes to embrace his fate. The story is narrated by Eddie Marsh, Rupert’s mentor, close friend and finally his literary executor, appointed by Rupert shortly before his death. Eddie is also the private secretary, editor and ghost writer to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill. Eddie decides to set the record straight, driven by a sense of betrayal, loss and unswerving love for Rupert. Indeed the novel is as much about Eddie as it is about Rupert. A climax is reached with Eddie desperately trying, but hopelessly failing to stop Rupert being used as a recruitment poster-boy for Churchill’s hubris driven and doomed Gallipoli campaign.