Swan river - David Reynolds

"A remarkable portrayal of the love between father and son...a fabulous, moving book." WILL SELF As a child, David Reynolds developed a fascination with the mysterious disappearance of his long-dead grandfather.
He interrogated relatives, read diaries and slowly pieced together a spellbinding story.
The trail led from Dalston in London's East End to a remote town on the edge of the Canadian prairies, by way of a tragic romance in Victorian London, and the harsh life of an impoverished exile.
Reynolds tells how he unearthed the colourful story of his East End forebears as he came of age in London in the swinging Sixties.
Family members from four generations are beautifully drawn - from his great-aunt, a music-hall artiste, to Reynolds' own father, a warm-hearted monster.