Being Simon Haines by Tom MacAulay (m. 1999)

Being Simon Haines, Tom Vaughan MacAulay's debut novel, was published on 22 June 2017.  A mere month or so later it was selected by Alex Wade, writing in The Times, as one of the 'best books for summer'. It has also been endorsed by the novelist Ian Sansom, who wrote that the novel is 'beautiful, intelligent and thoroughly readable'.

Being Simon Haines, is the story of a young lawyer waiting to know whether he has been voted in as a millionaire partner of the fictitious City law firm of Fiennes & Plunkett. The protagonist holidays in Cuba while awaiting his news but there he becomes lost in nostalgia and begins to relive the experiences, from sixth form onwards, that have brought him to this point.

The reader thus follows Simon in his recollections, the past and present beautifully interwoven throughout. The narrative traces Simon's path, in and out of love, through Cambridge, Italy, Law School and the years of insanely hard work as an associate of his firm. In so doing it tells the story of a generation of young professionals seeking validation, and probes the key anxieties and concerns affecting that generation. At times humorous, this is a deep and insightful novel which handles some of the key issues facing any generation with rare sensitivity. 

Tom Vaughan MacAulay graduated from Christ's with First Class Honours in 2003. He is a solicitor and has worked in both London and Milan during his career to date. He's currently busy working on finalising his second novel.