Learning How to Love

'Learning How to Love' begins with the discovery of a body in a remote village on the southern tip of Italy. How the events that unfold there and the impact of the second world war story behind it affect the present day relationships of Patrick and Anna is at the heart of this novel about coming to terms with who we are. In very different ways both of them discover the past is something they can’t escape. Alongside them, Liz and Josh have to accept the loss of their previous relationships before they can move forward, and Simon confronts the reality of his sexuality. Through the development of this fast moving novel, each of them has to rebuild their life. As they do so they find themselves facing fundamental questions. How much are we affected by our background and our life circumstances? What is the nature of human attraction and do we have to learn how to love? The twists and turns of the novel are eventually resolved in surprising but convincing conclusions.