Tim Finch

While stories are always a unique product of an author’s experiences, some wear their genesis more brazenly than others, and Tim Finch’s The House of Journalists is a story that could have been written by few people other than Tim Finch.

The Communications Director at a centre-left think-tank, Finch has previously been a political journalist for the BBC and Director of Communications at the Refugee Council, and he draws on his experiences in these roles to craft his debut novel.

The House of Journalists tells the story of a smart terraced house in a well-to-do area of London that has become a haven for journalists who have variously angered, offended and been exiled from some of the world’s most oppressive regimes. The residents of the house live in a state of mutual trust based on the knowledge of the reasons behind the others’ exile, until one day the mysterious AA arrives, a figure that brings discord to the house when he refuses to divulge his story.

 Finch’s novel is a chronicle of displacement in the modern world, and of the reasons people speak out, or choose to stay silent, in the face of evil. Finch is no stranger to engaging writing, having contributed to The Independent, The Times and The Guardian as well as Radio 4’s Today programme and this self-assured voice is evident in his debut novel.

The House of Journalists was in the running for our 2013 First Book Award.