This book tells the fictional story of a real event - the attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher by blowing up a Brighton hotel by the IRA. The author does an amazing job of blurring fact and fiction, although I certainly am not the most expert at this 1984 world shattering event. He focuses on the people, on both sides, and their often mundane experiences as they head towards this crescendo of violence.

So many fascinating turns of phrases and such interesting writing overcame my general dislike of novelistic retellings of known events. Heck, even I knew that Thatcher did not get assassinated. But he told the story at such a personal level, the actual event faded into the background. I am not sure I followed all the strands of the story but I sure had fun trying.