For Lucy, marriage to Mark provides an anchor after several years of drifting casually across countries, into jobs and out of relationships.

Now 42, prickly and restless, her anchor is working loose. Bewildered by the demands of motherhood, bored by her work, she has grown resentful of her husband: Mark has difficulties of his own and whilst harsh self-reliance has kept him sane and earned him success, it has alienated his wife.

When Lucy falls in love with Angus, a pianist in his 60s, her shock is extreme. Adamant that she will not deceive her husband, she instead asks his advice. Mark's reaction, however, is startlingly unorthodox, leaving Lucy to confront the storm head-on, steering an impossible course between duty and desire, adventure and security. As her marriage falters and Angus presses for commitment she is forced to choose between family or self, with lifelong consequences for everyone.

Infused with her trademark precision, clarity and dark humour, Mary Loudon’s searing, highly charged debut, My House Is Falling Down, is a breathtakingly fearless exploration of what happens when someone admits to a forbidden relationship; what infidelity means when no one is lying; and how brutal honesty may yet prove the biggest taboo in our relationships.