Love, Madness, Fishing

This memoir, Love, Madness, Fishing, explores Dexter Petley's life through his love for fishing, capturing the essence of growing up in post-war Britain.

In Love, Madness, Fishing, Dexter Petley presents a candid and unsentimental biography that captures his experiences growing up on the Kent/Sussex border during the 1960s and 1970s. Through the lens of his love for fishing, Petley reflects on the extraordinary characters he encountered in a rural landscape marked by the remnants of post-war Britain. The riverbank, where he learned to fish, serves as a backdrop for a deeper exploration of life, loss, and the resilience of a demobbed generation trying to find their footing in a changing world.

As he recounts his observations, Petley reveals the struggles of those around him—individuals eking out a living through various means, from mending cars to hop-picking. This vivid portrayal of life on the margins provides a rich context for understanding his own journey. Each story is imbued with a sense of nostalgia, as Petley unravels the threads of his past, from the heartache of first love to the nomadic lifestyle he has embraced in places like London, Africa, and France.

Love, Madness, Fishing is not just a memoir; it is a tapestry of memories woven with the threads of nature and human connection. Petley's writing evokes the spirit of great literary figures like Laurie Lee and H.E. Bates, bringing to life the earthy characters that have shaped his existence. This collaboration with Caught by the River is a testament to the power of storytelling and the enduring allure of the natural world.