A man floats off on a Bouncy Castle on a local hospital appeal Fun Day. He loses consciousness as he feels himself getting nearer to the sun and 'wakes up' in the arms of the beautiful and plump Sylvia Arrow, an ex-acrobat harbouring a stolen elephant. Roy's wife Sheila, devastated by his disappearance, becomes convinced that he's been abducted by aliens. Meanwhile in London an environmentalist called Jeremy, who wears a dress and smells of Nivea (and who turns out to be Sylvia's brother), is being followed by journalist Jane Memory, who is determined to get a better job and to bring his campaign to the attention of the world. All the characters in the book are connected to each other but it's only in the last scene that they come together: in a field, where Roy is poised to walk Sylvia's tightrope, because he thinks he's dead anyway.
- ISBN10 0753814358
- ISBN13 9780753814352
- Publish Date 5 July 2001 (first published 5 October 2000)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 22 February 2006
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Orion Publishing Co
- Imprint Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 320
- Language English