Bubbles Stabler is dead. The only public acknowledgement her passing caused is a measly couple of paragraphs in the 'Guardian'. Once Bubbles and her husband, Vincent, had enjoyed their days of glory. But that all ended long ago, and as he waits to cremate his wife, Vincent spends his time in the company of the ghosts of his past and present - a cherished son, an unloved lover, a criminal brother, a betrayed friend - trying to trace the rise and fall of the phenomenon called Bubbles.
At the dawn of the 1970s Vincent was posed on the first rungs of his brilliant academic career. At the same time older brother Russell was toiling at the humdrum life of a small-time South London crook. As for Bubbles - she hadn't even invented herself yet. But everything was about to change.
