Common Decency: The hilarious, smart debut novel from the beloved comedian and presenter - perfect for your next book club read!
May 2026 · Hachette UK
Ebook
320
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
infoThis book will become available on May 21, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
It may be quiet in the suburbs, but it's far from peaceful . . .
Oak Drive can be found nestled tidily in an unassuming English town. Its uniform front gardens overlook a midsized common which the street's residents survey with quiet, some might say smug, pride.
This is the sort of place where it pays to sweat the small stuff, and let the big things look after themselves. Bins should be placed back in their right positions in a timely fashion and paintwork should share the same tasteful but muted palette.
Sometimes, however, the big things do not look after themselves - and all hell can break loose in sleepy suburbia.
Common Decency chronicles the lives and interactions of the street's residents as they band together to save a beloved oak tree from destruction at the hands of ruthless developers.
As tensions rise and repressed neuroses and resentments seep out, the secrets of Oak Drive threaten to shatter the well-ordered veneer, revealing some rather more unsettling truths. . .
Tom Allen brings his trademark dark comedy to the page in this brilliant novel about what it truly means to be a neighbourhood.
Oak Drive can be found nestled tidily in an unassuming English town. Its uniform front gardens overlook a midsized common which the street's residents survey with quiet, some might say smug, pride.
This is the sort of place where it pays to sweat the small stuff, and let the big things look after themselves. Bins should be placed back in their right positions in a timely fashion and paintwork should share the same tasteful but muted palette.
Sometimes, however, the big things do not look after themselves - and all hell can break loose in sleepy suburbia.
Common Decency chronicles the lives and interactions of the street's residents as they band together to save a beloved oak tree from destruction at the hands of ruthless developers.
As tensions rise and repressed neuroses and resentments seep out, the secrets of Oak Drive threaten to shatter the well-ordered veneer, revealing some rather more unsettling truths. . .
Tom Allen brings his trademark dark comedy to the page in this brilliant novel about what it truly means to be a neighbourhood.
Discover more
About the author
Tom Allen is a beloved star of both stage and screen, and the author of two memoirs: Sunday Times bestseller No Shame (2020) and Too Much (2022). He's the hilarious presenter of The Apprentice: You're Fired, co-host of Cooking With The Stars, and a regular on Bake Off: An Extra Slice. Tom's Completely tour of 2023 and 2024 was extended multiple times and sold over 150,000 tickets, including two televised nights at the Eventim Apollo. He co-hosts the podcast Like Minded Friends with Suzi Ruffell and presents a weekly Sunday show on Virgin Radio.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
