Life Close to the Bone

Chief Ethics Officer John Greenburn knows the Big Pharma company he works for is morally bankrupt, but is failing miserably to make his voice heard. He recognizes his reticence stems from the emotional abuse he was subjected to by his mother, Frances, who projected an intense need to overcome her family’s legacy onto John and his once-promising tennis career. As Frances’s health begins to deteriorate, John is forced to confront their toxic dynamic and the buried trauma beneath it. LIFE CLOSE TO THE BONE unfolds a powerful, hard-hitting story exploring generational stigmas, unspoken shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness. Finely written, relentlessly compelling, and utterly gripping, Spake has produced an absolute gem of a debut novel.