Gershfield manages to find humour in the darkest places. The storylines bob and weave in compelling fashion - there’s not a dull moment from beginning to end.

The House of the Rising Son riotously depicts the catastrophic impact that a teenager’s hormones can have on his father’s run-of-the-mill mid-life crisis. It’s a suburban tale of sex, drugs and rock n’roll…with some kidnap thrown in for good measure. Deliciously written with enormous heart, Gershfield puts his protagonists through hell and back for our exquisite pleasure. Buckle up for one helluva ride!

A comic tour de force via pathos and humour from beginning to the finish line as one desperate man hilariously (and pathetically) tries to re-connect with his teenaged son. If you loved About A Boy… boy, you’re in for a treat.

Captures the cruel irony of the male midlife crisis colliding with teenage angst. This wry, funny, unexpectedly touching tale has a nail biting finale peppered with some brilliantly hilarious moments. 

It’s quite a feat to make a serious novel so funny (or a comic novel so serious) but Gershfield pulls off this literary legerdemain with commendable brio in his captivating debut. And as a screenwriter/director of some note, it is no surprise that his dialogue nails the characters so assuredly and wittily, whilst totally involving us in Alex's family dynamics. From the very first quite startling paragraph I was hooked! The action never stops. This would make a terrific contemporary TV series.

A funny, touching book that rings horribly true for anyone who has ever felt the impossibility of getting parenting/marriage/career/health/ even death - right.

When adolescent hormones and male midlife angst collide - the result is a delightful blend of dark comedy and pathos, that moves at warp-speed towards a scintillating climax.