The Pursuit of Ordinary

The Pursuit of Ordinary
Finalist, The People's Book Prize for Fiction 2019. Longlisted, The Guardian's Not The Booker Prize 2018.
After witnessing a fatal car accident, a homeless man wanders the streets of Brighton, trying to ignore the new, incessant voice inside his head. But he can’t forget the crash, can't get the face of the woman cradling her dying husband out of his mind. She stared into his eyes, his soul. He has to find her.
Is Dan ill or has he really been possessed by the spirit of Natalie's dead husband, Joe? If he hasn't, why does she let him into her home so easily? Does she have secrets of her own? The Pursuit of Ordinary is a twisting tale of modern life and mental health where nothing is what it seems...
Following the success of debut novel Beat the Rain, Roundfire introduces the second book from bestselling author Nigel Jay Cooper..
Endorsements
"Original and compelling, The Pursuit of Ordinary is perfectly paced and beautifully written." Colette McBeth, author of An Act of Silence
An author with a truly compelling insight into the human condition. Siobhan Kennedy, Channel 4 News
Cooper has a rare knack for presenting flawed characters in a way that makes the reader care about them. Love Reading blog
This novel has a very striking premise which Nigel Cooper executes with great skill. He gets under the skin of his characters and gradually reveals the psychological wheels within wheels of his two main characters Daniel and Natalie. A fascinating read. Jane Lythell, author of The Lie of You
Nigel Jay Cooper has the ability to grip the reader in a fashion I have never before experienced. Lisa Doherty, Book Blogger, Rambling Lisa’s Book Reviews
Nigel's works have a knack of grabbing me and pulling me in so that I can't put them down. Nikki Murphy, Book Blogger, Nikki's Book Blog
A new voice. Fresh and different. Maha Diwan, Book Blogger, Mesha’s Corner
Meet the characters

Natalie
Lover or liar?

Dan
Ill or possessed?
‘Dad, I’m serious,’ Dan said, picking at the skin around his thumbnail—pick, pick, pick—until little spots of blood appeared, gradually growing, bulbous, full of life, scarlet bubbles of reality nestling on top of his skin, taunting him with their realness, a visual anchor to a life he could no longer attach to. ‘I think I’m going mad.’
The sounds of the house magnified, creaking wood, wind on windows, water churning somewhere, in the dishwasher or the washing machine.
‘Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, it doesn’t feel like me staring back. I stare and stare at my face and it doesn’t feel like my face at all. It doesn’t even look like me.’
Dan paused. His dad wasn’t looking at him, but Dan could tell he wasn’t listening to the TV any more, he was frozen, unsure what to do or say. ‘I don’t think I exist, Dad.’

Joe
Dead or alive?