IT is 21 years since the novelist J. G. Farrell drowned in Bantry Bay at the age of 44 while fishing near his new home. Winner of the 1973 Booker Prize for The Siege of Krishnapur, Farrell continued to document the demise of the British Empire in his Irish novel, Troubles, and in his account of the fall of Singapore, The Singapore Grip. Until this biography, little was known of Farrell's life besides the fact he had contracted polio as a student, that he only ever travelled for research after finishing a book, and that his hobby was cooking elaborate meals for his literary friends. Lavinia Greacen has spoken to most people who knew Farrell, including his many girlfriends. In an unusual but effective technique, she uses his own words, taken from his novels, to show how he drew on his day-to-day experiences in their construction. It is fascinating to see how Farrell built up such memorable characters as the Major in Troubles and Doctor McNab in The Seige of Krishnapur. This excellent biography makes it evident that a very fine writer was lost when Farrell died so prematurely.