Ben Watt - Romany & Tom

Best known as one half of dance-pop duo Everything But The Girl alongside his wife Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt has previous form in the literary field, having written the 1996 memoir Patient, about his struggle with the auto-immune disease Churg-Strauss syndrome. His new memoir, Romany and Tom, tells the story of his parents’ remarkable relationship, the full details of which were disclosed to the author in a letter from his mother following his father’s funeral. Romany and Tom Watts met in the ‘50s and conducted a tumultuous affair before modern divorce laws were introduced, with their respective backgrounds – he a left wing jazz band leader, she a Rada actress-turned-showbiz columnist – ensuring there was never a dull moment. Watt has a fine writing style, and his melancholy-yet-warm prose does an excellent job of capturing both his parents’ marriage and the atmosphere of post-war England.