Once upon a time there was a boy
whose home was a van and whose world was his father.
Be warned: this is not a fairytale.
Although it does contain love,
betrayal,
escape,
and most important of all, a kiss.
But you have to be ready for an unpredictable journey
through a realm where nothing is black or white.
That, of course, is why you should take the first step.
A startling new voice shows us a painful truth:
You can’t help who you fall in love with.
whose home was a van and whose world was his father.
Be warned: this is not a fairytale.
Although it does contain love,
betrayal,
escape,
and most important of all, a kiss.
But you have to be ready for an unpredictable journey
through a realm where nothing is black or white.
That, of course, is why you should take the first step.
A startling new voice shows us a painful truth:
You can’t help who you fall in love with.
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Reviews
'Irresistibly quirky...Though the book is expertly mined with narrative explosions - fire, gunshots, sudden violence and family revelations - its originality lies in the sly, halting way it reveals its mysteries, the odd perspectives that illuminate its characters, how much it is brave enough to leave unsaid....in Nevis Gow, Emily Mackie has created one of current fiction's freshest funniest oddballs'
A strange, intense story of love and betrayal, beautifully imagined and written; Nevis's voice will haunt you
Superbly unsettling...a gripping, moving tale of a little boy lost.
'Emily Mackie's wonderful novel is a rare thing, delicate and dangerous at the same time. The plot is raw and shocking, the slow reveal is strikingly accomplished, the detail of the writing is fine and funny and precise'
I have never read anything quite like AND THIS IS TRUE. As disturbing as it is compelling, it is a wonderfully taut tale of confinement and escape, of difficult loves and conflicting emotions peopled by characters you won't meet anywhere else.