Martin John sits beside you on the train. Can he see that look on your face? He needs to see that look in your eyes, the surprise of his touch upon your leg, and your repugnance. Despite his work's distractions, his evil flatmate's enmity, his worn-out mother's admonishments, his own rules and routines, nothing can diminish his determination to touch - and to repel. Martin John is a testament to Anakana Schofield's skill and audacity. With a Beckettian grasp of the loops and circuits of a molester's mind, Schofield's novel is a brilliant exploration of a marginal character, but not a rare character. Martin John is the kind of character many women have experienced, but whom few of us have understood.