Published in August 2022, Separation for Beginners is an uplifting, laugh-out-loud funny read about new beginnings.
Literary fiction writer Tom Connolly wrote Separation for Beginners under the pen name Joe Portman. His new novel is perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby and Marian Keyes.
“This warm-hearted comedy about unlikely flatmates had me laughing from start to finish. Divorced Pete’s sharing his cramped Woking basement with daughter Susie and her slobby boyfriend Niall. When Susie moves abroad he’s left, most reluctantly, with Niall.
Pete’s at rock bottom; missing his ex-wife, saddled with a failing business, conscious of a shrinking pool of friends and now stuck with an unwanted lodger.
But there’s more to Niall than meets the eye and as the odd couple become closer they both find the courage to tackle their problems.
Sharp-witted self-deprecating and honest, this smart slice of modern life is man-lit at its best.”
Film and TV rights have been optioned to Jason Newmark’s company, Newscope Films. Tom will adapt for feature film.
Tom Connolly’s debut novel, THE SPIDER TRUCES, was shortlisted for the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award as well as selected for Waterstones’s New Voices and the Financial Times Books of the Year.
SEPARATION FOR BEGINNERS is out now in hardback. Paperback next year.
Tom Connolly is represented by Rochelle Stevens.