Well, this one was different - and very good.None of the characters is conventionally likeable, but I found myself rooting for the central character, Adam. He (like the author) is a war correspondent in Afghanistan. There he meets the apparently somewhat unhinged Astrid. The two are drawn to each other and have sex, but it's questionable whether you could call them lovers, and the relationship doesn't last.
On his return to England Adam is pretty messed up and confused, and his life spirals into the descent of the title. He's in danger of alienating every friend he's got, but he can't cope with people's glib statements of horror at the suffering of innocent Afghans when they know nothing about what it's really like.
Meanwhile he's received an email from Astrid in America saying: 'I want to see you now," and he drops everything and goes.
Powerful stuff.
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