One Midlife Crisis and a Speedo

'If you don't choose your midlife crisis, your crisis will choose you.' When Darrel Bristow-Bovey is about to have these words tattooed on his arm in Chinese characters, he suddenly realises his midlife crisis is already under way, and what follows is a witty, warm, sometimes wise journey into the terrors and absurdities (and finally the grudging, grumpy compensations) of middle age that every man and woman of a certain age will recognise. Running a gauntlet of bucketlists, prostate examinations and sexual misadventures, Darrel sets himself a task: to follow in the footsteps of Lord Byron and the Greek hero Hercules and swim across the Dardenelles in Turkey. The only problem is that he's old and lazy and can't swim very well.
This book is funny and insightful, and deals with a universal condition with which everyone can identify: the need to make sense of your life. A highly enjoyable read.