Rules for Visiting

"It’s a situation comedy, where the situation—visiting—changes location. It’s about a gardener, May, rekindling friendships. It’s got a kind of gentle humour, it’s cosy and comfortable and familiar… yet still fresh. I want to be friends with May, despite her awkwardness. I want to hang out with her, and I want her to look after my garden, too. Although I’d have to get a garden first… Absolutely. It’s definitely a book for the person who’s having a lockdown like: ‘I just want a cuddle.’ It’s also a book about what we all want to be doing right now, which is visiting people. We have our own rules for visiting at the moment, so perhaps there is an added layer of connection there. Not sure how this book would work if they had to be two metres apart at all times. No, no, it’s observational comedy. People doing things that we’re not expecting. People responding in ways that we know are wrong, but the author just allows us to continue down that path. You know? We get to enjoy the pain of May’s social faux pax. Yes. As I say, it’s like a sitcom. With a slightly tragic protagonist."