Patrick Charnley with Helen Taylor: This, My Second Life

After a near-death experience, twenty-year-old Jago Trevarno retreats to his uncle’s remote, off-grid farm in West Cornwall, where life follows the rhythms of the natural world. As he tends the land and animals, he begins to recover a sense of wonder, renewal and connection; but when a local villain threatens the farm, Jago must find the strength to protect his second life.

Join Patrick Charnley in conversation with Helen Taylor, about his critically acclaimed debut novel, This, My Second Life. 

Drawing on Patrick’s own experience of cardiac arrest and a life-changing brain injury, this moving exploration of recovery and resilience also marks the arrival of a new literary voice from a family with deep Clifton roots. 

Patrick grew up in Bristol, and is the son of celebrated novelist and poet, the late Helen Dunmore.