This is an account of parents coming to terms with their five and half year old son's untimely death. In the book they deal with the struggles and triumphs of Joe's illness and how it affected their relationship. They also discuss in an objective and critical way, the whole question of medical care and how they learnt about chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Finally the Stuarts confront the fact that Joe is dying and the problem of what life will be without Joe. It poses questions and offers help to all those in similar positions. Alexander Stuart has also written The War Zone and Anne Totterdell is the deputy film critic of The Financial Times.