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.
