The Weird Problem of Good
A catastrophic wedding ceremony ends with its not-to-be-a-groom-after-all reeling into the local town centre where he accidentally saves a Czech gypsy on the run from contract killers. Meanwhile, the not-to-be-a-bride-after-all bedazzles one of the stars of the popular Australian soap Home and Away, then gets to work for a piddling fashion agency in London, then throws in her lot with a Communist agitator. Murder and mayhem help out with knives and guns and things.
The Weird Problem of Good is a novel that won a gold star on the Harpercollins website (now defunct), Authonomy, and was also longlisted in 2010 for the Harry Bowling Prize. It is a romantic comedy about an arranged marriage between two Hindus: Prem Sharma, a deeply moral, clinically obese priest's son, and Nasreen Sanim, a beautiful but spoilt dreamer; and what happens when she dumps him at the proverbial altar, and a Czech gypsy woman comes out of nowhere and into both their lives. It is about how love and friendship can triumph even in the unlikeliest of situations. Yes, there is evil in the world, and decent people sometimes make stupid choices, but with enough determination and goodwill, things can nearly always be turned around. It is set in and around Middlesbrough, the author's birthplace.
In 2008, the author wrote a full-length screenplay dramatizing The Weird Problem of Good for a 'summer competition' run by an outfit called RISE films in London. Obviously, it didn't win. It hasn't seen the light of day since then. If you're interested, please get in touch.
