'EXPLOSIVE... Contains a string of startling revelations about Mr Johnson's public and personal
life and goes farther than any previous biography towards solving the enigma of his true
personality... The political book of 2020'. Daily Mail'Staggering... Tom Bower [is] the master
of the unauthorised biography' TatlerHero or villain?Genius or fool?Maverick or chancer?Before
you decide read this year's most sensational biography. Guardian 'literary highlights of
2020'Sunday Times 'books to watch out for in 2020'New Statesman 'books to read in 2020'Evening
Standard 'thirteen titles to look for in 2020'As divisive as he is beguiling as misunderstood
as he is scrutinised Boris Johnson is a singular figure. Many of us think we know his story
well. His ruthless ambition was evident from his insistence as a three-year-old that he would
one day be 'world king'. Eton and Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the
dog-eat-dog worlds of journalism and politics. His transformation from bumbling stooge on Have
I Got New for You to a triumphant Mayor of London was overshadowed only by his colourful
personal life brimming with affairs scandals and transgressions. His ascent to Number 10 in
the wake of the acrimonious era-defining Brexit referendum would prove to be only the first
act in an epic drama that saw him play both hero and villain - from proroguing parliament to
his controversial leadership of the Covid-19 Crisis all against the backdrop of divorce
marriage the birth of his sixth child revolts among Tory MPs and the countdown to Brexit.Yet
despite his celebrity decades of media scrutiny the endless vitriol of his critics and the
enduring adoration of his supporters there is so much we've never understood about Boris -
until now. Previous biographies have either dismissed him as a lazy deceitful opportunist or
been transfixed by his charm wit and drive. Both approaches fall short and so many questions
about Boris remain unanswered. What seismic events of his childhood have evaded scrutiny? How
has he so consistently defied the odds proved his critics wrong and got away with
increasingly reckless gambles? What were his real achievements and failures as Mayor of London
what was really going on during his time as Foreign Secretary and why did he write two
articles for the Telegraph one in favour of Leave and the other for Remain? How have the women
in his life exerted more influence than any of us realise and why is his story ultimately one
overshadowed by family secrets?Based on a wealth of new interviews and research this is the
deepest most rounded and most comprehensive portrait to date of the man the mind the
politics the affairs the family - of a loner a lover a leader. Revelatory unsettling and
compulsively readable it is the most timely and indispensable book yet from Britain's leading
investigative biographer.
