The Nick of Time by Francis King: an eye-opening state of the nation novel
Lucy Scholes shines a spotlight on The Nick of Time by Francis King: a state of the nation novel by an author who was finally nominated, aged 80
Francis King's provocative and adventurous novel looks at the havoc wrought when a young illegal immigrant finds himself in London.
Mehmet leads a double life befriending and lodging with an elderly woman who suffers from MS, while at the same time having an affair with a female doctor and throwing himself onto the London gay scene. Disaster looms when he begins a relationship with a gay protector - and is arrested because of his illegal status.
Francis King
About the Author
Francis King wrote some 30 novels but believed he was never viewed as a major writer because ‘the public tends to like its novelists to write the same novel over and over again’.Other nominated books by Francis King
The story of Antonio Valli, a young Italian philosopher, who arrives to do a year's research at a well-to-do university. He lodges with Dick Thompson, a successful middle-aged novelist, and the Italian's good looks and impulsive yet immensely likeable character soon have Dick captivated...