Meet Pru. Recently dumped, and on the hunt for a new man. A nice, wealthy widower will do... From the author of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL comes a darkly funny novel of life, loneliness and the foibles of friendship

'A darkly funny novel about betrayal, loneliness and the surprising pleasure of being single again' Good Housekeeping


How does it feel when your decades old marriage is over? Pru doesn't miss her husband, but the old days of laughter, friendship, and having someone occupy the other dip in the bed.
Then, she goes to a funeral. Nothing seems familiar, neither the eulogy nor the people. She's gone to the wrong place. Everyone is friendly, so she decides to attend another. After all, it's been fun, and what harm can it do?

'She gets sharper and more mordant with age and about age. Thank goodness. This page-turner is like the best wakes, it will make you feel hungry and alive' The Times


'The joy is in her witty observations of middle-class life and bracingly tart portrayal of family relationships' Daily Mail


'Moggach's power lies not just in making people laugh, but in making them think about things they'd rather ignore' The Scotsman

'I barked out loud. Not since Freud has sex been more in bed with death. She gets sharper and more mordant with age and about age. This page-turner is like the best wakes, it will make you feel hungry and alive' The Times

'She really is the Nora Ephron of North London' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she'll find a party somewhere?

Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.

In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend she knew. She's gone to the wrong service, though it was more excitement than she's had for ages. So Pru buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, why not go to another? No-one will challenge her - and what harm can it do?

'As ever with Moggach, the joy is in her witty observations of middle-class life and her bracingly tart portrayal of family relationships' Daily Mail

'Full of warmth and humour, as well as blistering truths' Daily Mirror

What readers say about THE BLACK DRESS:


'I loved literally everything about this book. It kept me gripped from start to finish. Enjoyed every single page'

'Laugh out loud funny and a brilliantly constructed novel' #11088;

'This is easily the best book I have read for years. Very uplifting for those of us who are getting on a bit . We can break the rules, we can have great fun. Fabulous'

'I just could not put it down. It was funny and dark in turns. Super relaxed style of writing in the first person'