The Sum of One Man's Pleasure

1963 Finn Kenny fled Ottawa after being implicated in an RCMP purge of suspected Communist sympathisers and ?homosexuals?, ending up on Vancouver Island working for the Spencerwood Estate alongside devoted caretakers, the Bishops. Theodore Spencer was Finn's saviour, a barroom companion who offered him a way out of his predicament. But when Spencer dies suddenly, Finn's life is turned upside down as he's forced to work with the cold, calculating lady of the house.

Thrown together unexpectedly, Finn, Lady Spencer, and the Bishops are faced with the worst of one another, as they struggle to keep the estate together. Learning more about each other's lives, they must come to terms with the truth that everyone has secrets buried at the centre of themselves.

In his searching sixth novel, Danial Neil questions the stories we tell of our own lives, the version of ourselves we show to those closest, and the ways in which we are able to find common ground.

1963 – Finn Kenny fled Ottawa after being implicated in an RCMP purge of suspected Communist sympathisers and “homosexuals”, ending up on Vancouver Island working for the Spencerwood Estate alongside devoted caretakers, the Bishops. Theodore Spencer was Finn’s saviour, a barroom companion who offered him a way out of his predicament. But when Spencer dies suddenly, Finn’s life is turned upside down as he’s forced to work with the cold, calculating lady of the house.

Thrown together unexpectedly, Finn, Lady Spencer, and the Bishops are faced with the worst of one another, as they struggle to keep the estate together. Learning more about each other’s lives, they must come to terms with the truth that everyone has secrets buried at the centre of themselves.

In his searching sixth novel, Danial Neil questions the stories we tell of our own lives, the version of ourselves we show to those closest, and the ways in which we are able to find common ground.