Shriver has admitted that she tackles "precisely the subjects that everyone yearns to avoid”. The subject of Should we Stay or Should we Go is one of those, namely old age and how to deal with it.

The story opens when the couple, Cyril and Kay, who both work for the British National Health Service, are in their 50s. Kay's father has recently passed away after a long period of dementia and Kay is so worn out she cannot even feel pain at his loss. At this point Cyril comes up with his infamous suggestion that they make a pact to exit from the world once Kay reaches 80, as it appears to them - and this is where their experience in the health service comes in - that most lives go downhill from there on. The bulk of the novel concerns the period when they do reach that critical date and pursues a series of scenarios, some more realistic than others, but all treated in a fairly light-hearted way, which is even funny at times, of what happens at that stage.

The story is set in England on purpose, as it is, at present, a country where any form of assisted suicide is illegal. This rules out what might appear to be the most sensible option of consulting with family members at an appropriate point. Indeed, the reaction of the children of Kay and Cyril in those scenarios where the pact is foiled or avoided, is not such as to inspire much confidence in their support were there to be a different legal framework.

Shriver has said that she believes that fiction, rather than opinion pieces, is a more powerful instrument for changing people's minds. While she limits herself in this novel to presenting us with the scenarios without any overt recommendation, she certainly provides much food for thought. We are all going to get older and how we face the inevitable does need to be addressed.