Strachan’s second novel, ‘Blow on a Dead Man’s Embers,’ tells the story of a woman struggling to help her husband adjust to life after the Great War. The extract painted the picture of a disturbed man hiding under a table, while believing his kitchen to be a battlefield, so vividly that members of the audience could be forgiven for casting a cautionary glance under their tables. In Woodward’s novel, ‘Nourishment,’ set during World War Two, a woman is sexually awakened through explicit correspondence with her husband. His reading caused the whole room to blush. Unfortunately, considering the likelihood of audience members being familiar with only one author, the questions posed by the Chair were much more revealing than was necessary.

Spiegeltent, Aug 26, 10.15am (11.15am), £8.00 – £10.00, eibfpp45.
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