Maxwell Sim seems to have hit rock bottom: separated from his wife and daughter, estranged from his father, and with no one to confide in even though he has 74 friends on Facebook. He's not even sure whether he's got a job until suddenly a strange business proposition comes his way which involves a long journey to the Shetland Isles.

The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim is Jonathan Coe's latest heart-breaking and hilarious novel

Maxwell Sim could be any of us. He could be you.

He's about to have a mid-life crisis (though eh doesn't know it yet). He'll be found in his car in the north of Scotland, half-naked and alone, suffering hypothermia, with a couple of empty whisky bottles and a boot full of toothbrushes.

It's a far cry from a restaurant in Sydney, where his story starts.

But then Maxwell Sim has, unknowingly, got a long way to go. If he knew now about his lonely journey to the Shetland Isles, or the truth about his father and the folded photograph, or the mystery of Poppy and her peculiar job, or even about Emma's lovely, fading voice, then perhaps he's stay where he was - hiding from destiny.

But Max knows none of it. And nor do you - at least not yet. . .

Equal parts funny and moving, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim will be cherished by readers everywhere, from fans of David Nicholls to Will Self.

'Witty, unexpected and curiously unsettling. Coe carries it off with empathy, comedy and a ventriloquist's ear for idiom' Literary Review

'Clever, engaging, spring-loaded with mysteries and surprises' Time Out

'Masterly, highly engaging. Coe's eye for the details of contemporary life remains as sharp as ever' Daily Mail

Written with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe's unmissable new novel, The Proof of My Innocence, is available to order now!