‘A funny, evocative, authentic account of a struggling playwright’s rise from obscurity to semi-obscurity. Brilliant.’ Joe Penhall (playwright and scriptwriter)
‘Written with charming, blokey candour and reminiscent of such novels as High Fidelity and Starter for Ten, it perfectly encapsulates the ambitious and catty world of British theatre.’ Waterstone’s
Stephen’s other novels
‘Beautifully written, painfully honest and deeply affecting. Stephen Thompson’s debut novel is terrific.’ Hanif Kureishi
‘Beautifully honest . . . dark and challenging.’ Independent on Sunday
‘Stephen Thompson’s vital, gritty and gripping debut novel reads like a kind of Trainspotting in Hackney. Ali G could only wish for Staines to be this real.’ 19
‘Sensitive, subtle and fascinating.’ The Times
‘Stephen Thompson is someone you’ll be hearing a lot more from.’ Pil
‘Following his critically acclaimed debut, Toy Soldiers, Stephen Thompson uses the distinctive narrative of Missing Joe to build powerful, solid characters . . . [a] journey into the depths of the human condition.’ The Big Issue
‘Accessibly psychological, gripping and just the right side of confrontation.’ ID
‘Well crafted and intelligently paced.’ The Daily Telegraph
‘. . . one hell of a story.’ The Daily Mirror
‘As rich in dialogue and detail as it is in intrigue.’ The Times
‘A sweetly melancholic book about loss and belonging . . . Thompson draws you in by mesmerizing you with his subtle and tender characterisation.’ Sleazenation
