Crossing the Line [Paperback]

`Much more than a morality tale about the danger of carrying a knife to defend yourself . . . much witty, well-observed detail'
-- Glasgow Herald

'Much more than a morality tale about the danger of carrying a knife to defend yourself ... much witty, well-observed detail' Glasgow Herald 'An uncompromising exploration of the ruthless Darwinian world of teenagers. It's tough, rough-textured and assured, cynical where it needs to be, and demands respect' Financial Times 'Bleakly humorous, imbuing a difficult subject matter with warmth, intelligence and compassion' Big Issue 'It's very rare, and exciting, to find a writer like Gillian Philip ... [Crossing the Line is] a tender, touching and emotionally savvy examination of sibling relationships and adolescent angst' The List (Glasgow and Edinburgh)

`[A] somewhat reductive précis doesn't do justice to [this] tightly plotted story, narrated in alternating past and present sections, in which events are inextricably entwined in a horrific web of attacks and counter-reprisals . . . This is a challenging but rewarding novel for mature readers'

Nick Geddes's life is a mess. His sister's boyfriend was killed in a school stabbing. His grandmother is decending into a world of her own, his mother has a 'god-slot' on local radio, and his father is drinking way too much. But that is nothing, because he is also crazy in love with Orla, the sister of the boy who has been killed, and she blames Nick! How can Nick make sense of this chaos, and look after his sister, and hopefully get lucky with Orla?

Gillian Philip is an exciting new talent with a real ear for contemporary life, as showcased in her first novel for Bloomsbury Crossing the Line. Gillian lives in Elgin in the north of Scotland.