At the time of his kidnapping, John was a successful film critic, with his own late-night TV slot and something of a cult following. Crazed fans were an occupational hazard. One night, during a break in the show, John stepped outside to have a smoke. When he didn't come back, nobody worried too much. It was a week before he was found. Acclaimed Irish writer Blanaid McKinney's first novel covers the care and maintenance of bonsai trees, the sex life of pandas, World War Two fighter planes (and why test pilots were usually women), the singing career of Antony Perkins and much more.