Deva, a Brazilian nightclub singer, accepts a mysterious invitation to become the companion to a wealthy recluse living in a London penthouse. Known only as Harry, he suffers from a traumatic brain injury where he rises each morning, having forgotten all that has transpired the day before. One cryptic clue offers a glimpse into Harry ‘s past—a photograph of a man in a field, picking a daffodil. Endeavoring to identify the man, Deva discovers that her own turbulent past intertwines not only with Harry’s but with the unnamed man in the photograph, and that all of their movements are being monitored, even orchestrated, by the doctor and housekeeper in Harry’s employ, who have ties to British intelligence and a dark purpose of their own. Harry’s past memories are the key—but remembering the past might just destroy them all. As Deva is propelled through the layers of intrigue and personal connection, Man Picks Flower explores the deep, lasting traumas of America’s foreign adventures, the labile nature of memory, and what it takes for the damaged to love again.
Praise for Man Picks Flower
“Man Picks Flower is instantly compelling; I read it in two days. A fusion of international intrigue and familial longing, Roger King’s beguiling new novel is something rare: a spy thriller with a loudly beating heart.”
—Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer prizewinning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach, and The Candy House
“Roger King may well have invented the espionage novel of ideas. Man Picks Flower is at once fast-paced and contemplative, a riveting inquiry into the mysterious power of memory and regret.”
—Jess Walter, #1, New York Times bestseller, National Book Award finalist, author of Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions
“I loved every moment I spent reading Roger King’s Man Picks Flower. It’s tense, atmospheric, elegantly written and impossible to put down. King reminds me of another novelist whose work I revere perhaps above all others—namely, Graham Greene.”
—Steve Yarbrough, prizewinning author of Stay Gone Days and The Unmade World
"An intriguing, gripping and gracefully written story, Man Picks Flower raises questions about the cost of skewed power dynamics — both global and interpersonal — and the possibility of forgiveness, that linger long after the book is over."
—Sharon Guskin, International Bestselling author of The Forgetting Time
"I was swept away by this elegantly written and fast paced novel of suspense and intrigue set in the US, Britain, Brazil and Pakistan, with its fascinating characters torn between trust and betrayal as they strive to build a family based on love."
—Virginia Pye, award-winning author of The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann and River of Dust
“Find in King a lively talent, with his assured new novel, Man Picks Flower. Ideal for fans of Graham Greene, Tom McCarthy, and Ian McEwan.”
—Edie Meidav, author of Another Love Discourse and Crawl Space
