This book contains two plays by Garry O'Connor, 'Debussy Was My Grandfather' and 'The Madness of Vivien Leigh'. A theme common to both is the emotional and psychological turmoil underneath the veil of public careers, with an uncompromising look at the undercurrents: the dysfunction of domestic/family life, in all its anguish and floridity. There's a nicely judged balance between art in its moments of transcendence, and the reality underpinning it, with a flawed humanity put to the service of art. It's a theme O'Connor has explored in a substantial body of work as novelist, biographer, and playwright.