Continuing the themes of family and fatherhood, Man Alive explores what happens when children leave home and their parents want to redefine themselves. Derek Hawker is getting on a bit but he's a good and successful chap. He has provided for his children, been faithful to his wife and as a visionary manager with the vast Bluelake retail mall he's at the peak of his career. But surely there is more to life than his half-baked, bite-sized chunk? Meanwhile his wife has gone off travelling around the world for a year off being a mother, and their two late-teen children are rebelling against their parent's values. Man Alive is a novel about teen wars, teenage angst and parents who refuse to grow old gracefully. It is warm, witty, insightful, humane and very funny.