The Dumb Waiter

'The Dumb Waiter' tells the story of two orphans. Tom Broom is raised by his grandfather - an aficionado of fine desserts and a long standing member of The Pudding Club. Stella Brighton lives under the guardianship of a failing grandmother, preceding that of a chaotic aunt with an appetite for decorating and occasional prostitution. Both orphans seek to escape an unwanted childhood: Tom through an imaginary lover, whilst Stella grows up in an invented world of letter writing. Patched-up and raised to the brink of adulthood, their paths cross in the university city of York. Tom takes the cellar rooms of an old house discovering a boarded up dumb waiter connecting him to fellow tenant, Klaus, a womanizing student of art whilst Stella shares a flat with Martha, an American shoe heiress. The two are drawn into a circle of acquaintances and become friends. When the circle disintegrates Tom decides to travel to London in search of his mother, only to find more of a family than he bargained for.