The Dumb Waiter

Tom Broom and Stella Brighton are both orphans. Tom, abandoned by his parents at an early age is raised by his grandfather, an aficionado of fine deserts and member of the Pudding Club. Stella’s mother is killed in an unfortunate accident with a tarmac truck, whilst her father dies from a disease which baffled the medical world to such an extent they named it after him. Stella then falls under the guardianship of a failing grandmother prior to that of a chaotic aunt with an obsession for serial decorating who supplements her income through occasional prostitution. Their family sagas are followed from lonely childhoods wherein Tom and Stella seek company through an imaginary lover and a host of pen-pals, respectively, up to the brink of adulthood. They both leave their homes to study in the city of York; Tom taking occupancy of the cellar rooms of an old house with Klaus, a Danish student of art, whilst Stella sub-lets a room in a flat rented by Martha, an American shoe heiress. Here, the two orphans are drawn into a loose circle of acquaintances, only to become friends. However, when the circle implodes Tom travels to London in the hope of tracking down his mother but finds much more than he was expecting. A far reaching family saga influenced by the intricate plot twists of John Irving and the close observations of Anne Tyler. The Dumb Waiter is a rich and satisfying journey that maintains even the most broken of homes are never beyond repair.