After twenty-five years in prison for killing his partner during a manic episode, Ed, a middle-aged man living with bipolar disorder, is released on licence to Brighton, where he struggles to rebuild his life.
His probation officer, Emily, is compassionate but close to burnout, haunted by her sister’s death from anorexia and a growing sense that her work no longer changes anything.
Ed finds solace in a local Repair Café, a community hub where volunteers mend broken possessions for the public. Under the watchful eye of Cal, its pragmatic founder, and alongside fellow volunteers Vince and Poppy, Ed rediscovers purpose by restoring discarded objects.
Through encounters with café visitors and their stories Ed begins to understand that repair isn’t about returning things to their original state but about transforming what’s damaged into something new.
The Fixer is an uplifting, character-driven novel about repair, redemption, and broken things.
