Michael: The wise, funny and moving new novel for Christmas 2026
About this ebook
He and his mum have been forced to start again after his dad's death: new house, new school, no mates. Worse still, his mum has a new boyfriend, a man with suspiciously close-set eyes and the word DRYWALL tattooed on his forearm. He mostly spends his time in his bedroom, drawing cars and making airfix models. Things seem hopeless.
But as the months pass, Michael slowly begins to find his place. Helped by new friendships and the unexpected kindness of his neighbour, Mr Graham, what starts as the worst year of Michael’s life might actually turn out to be the one that makes him. Life looks different second time around.
A wise, funny and moving novel about growing up and finding your way, from multi-million-copy bestselling author Bob Mortimer.
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About the author
Bob Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough in 1959, the youngest of four sons. He trained as a solicitor before a chance encounter with Vic Reeves in the 1980s led to a successful career in comedy as half of duo Reeves and Mortimer. His screen credits include Shooting Stars, Big Night Out, Catterick and most recently BBC2's Gone Fishing. His memoir, And Away..., published in 2021. It became the bestselling memoir of the year and was named Times and Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year. His first novel, The Satsuma Complex, was published in 2022 and won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for Comic Fiction. The sequel, The Hotel Avocado, was an immediate number one bestseller on release in 2024. His books have now sold over 2 million copies. He's on Twitter and Instagram as @RealBobMortimer.
