The novel revolves around five idiosyncratic characters in Brighton, at a time when everybody talks about the decline in English society- Paula, daughter of Polish immigrants, who dreams of spending her life with Thomas, a charismatic American scientist living near the Taconic Mountains, Marion, a complicated angel who enjoys looking after old people and doing a bit shop-lifting, Jim, a bohemian beat poet, traumatized by nuclear testing on Christmas Island and in love with Marion, Tung, a Malaysian ex-serviceman also in love with Marion, and Harold, an ex-rock singer who escapes his upper-class background and wants to marry Paula. Ana Ingham, the multi award author of 16 novels, three poetry collections (under different names) and eight plays shown at Brighton Fringe and at Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York, lives in Brighton and in New York. She believes her writing contains universal truths. "Just finished The English Dream. Ana holds you steady as she leads you through the unfamiliar inner processes of her characters. A solid portrait of how one might deal with blight and bliss on your way to find your truth. " Rick Amitin/ USA "I was in the hands of an author who could move me a great deal." Bob Corbett (USA) "She wants to be both local and international in her writing" FRANKFURTHER RUNDSHAU " She presents vividly the tensions and emotions of alienation, the experience of not belonging to any one society" WORLD LITERATURE TODAY USA.