Martin Sturrock desperately needs a psychiatrist. The problem? He is one. Emily is a traumatised burns victim Arta a Kosovan refugee recovering from a rape. David Temple is a longterm depressive while the Rt Hon Ralph Hall MP lives in terror of his drink problem being exposed. Very different Londoners but they share one thing: every week they spend an hour at the Prince Regent hospital revealing the secrets of their psyche to Professor Martin Sturrock. Little do they know that Sturrocks own mind is not the reassuring place they believe it to be. For years he has hidden in his work ignoring his demons. But now his life is falling apart & as his ghosts come back to haunt him the only person he can turn to is a patient. Set over a life-changing weekend Alastair Campbells astonishing first novel delves deep into the human mind to create a gripping portrait of the strange dependency between patient & doctor. Both a comedy & tragedy of ordinary lives it is rich in compassion for those whose days are spent on the edge of the abyss.