William Cookson has always drifted through his life, letting others dictate its course for him. He has few close friends, is not a very successful lawyer and lives a life of mediocrity and ennui. Suddenly, at 36, both his parents are dead and he is forced to take stock of his life. Sorting through his mother’s effects, William comes across an enigmatic dedication to her in a book she always kept close by. To Doreen, live your life, love, row. What does it mean and why would the author write it to his mother? In his search for answers he embarks on a quest to uncover his mother’s secret past. William’s odyssey is littered with a range of eccentric characters who force him to maintain a sense of humour in the face of tragedy and a truth that he wishes had remained buried.
