Facing the Tank

Bestselling author Patrick Gale’s quirky and hilarious novel of English country life is “a ridiculously crazy tour de force” ( Publishers Weekly ). The town of Barrowcester—pronounced “Brewster”—is English as can be. From its cozy little pubs to its immaculate cathedral close, the quiet city seems straight out of the pages of Thomas Hardy. For American academic Evan Kirby, it’s paradise, a welcome escape from the United States, where he was haunted by the grim memories of his brutal divorce. A h