The Middle of the Road: A Novel

A weary veteran, haunted by the sounds of war and his own restless thoughts, finds his quiet London flat transformed into a pressure‑cooker of fear and guilt. As he watches his wife Joyce struggle through a painful, mysterious illness, the familiar mantra of “keep a stiff upper lip” feels hollow, and the familiar comforts of routine begin to crumble.

The novel follows Bertram’s attempt to reconcile his battlefield bravado with the fragile, everyday realities of post‑war life. Through vivid recollections of bomb‑sheltered nights, bitter camaraderie, and lingering hopes of a “beauty of life,” he confronts the gap between the ideals of love and the harshness of his present, searching for a way to hold onto both his own sanity and the woman he loves.