Magnificent Joe

What Joe needs is a friend.

What Jim needs is a fresh start.

Living in a former pit village in the North of England, Joe's learning difficulties have left him isolated, his only contac with the community playing the back-end of the horse in the local panto. Until Jim, another of life's outsiders for a whole different set of reasons, comes home. So begins an unlikely friendship. Jim and Joe offer one another loyalty and camaraderie, simple but magnificent qualities that give Jim that most elusive thing - hope - as he rebuilds his life. But when rumours of an unthinkable crime get out of control, Jim's loyalty is put to the test, with heartbreaking consequences.

Funny, bittersweet and unforgettable, Magnificent Joe is a tale of devastation, loss and the redemptive power of one extraordinary friendship.

Wheatley is that increasingly rare type of young writer: he has experienced life - and it shows.

Daily Mail

Tender and funny.

Independent on Sunday

A dark, angry, tightly wound novel.

Guardian

Very convincing...A dark, affecting tale.

Literary Review