Born Free ("Rebel Inc") (Paperback)

Jake is a computer games obsessive whose other hobbies include: 1) tormenting a teacher who wears "revolting tight trousers that make his balls look like a ballet dancer's" and pungent aftershave and, therefore, must be gay; and 2) masturbating over defaced pictures of Kate Moss in his mum's old issues of Marie Claire. Older sister Joni is 15, shoplifts from British Home Stores (because it's easy), skives off school, alternately envies and falls out with best mate Rosie and is desperate to lose her virginity before she hits 16. Mum (Angie) is a frowsy, late-thirtysomething who snores, works in a bookies and suspects that her (younger) manager Raymond just might be flirting with her. And Dad (Vic) is a gentle hippy of a bus driver who missed out on university because Angie got pregnant, is helpless in the face of his children's teenage angst and his wife's mid-life crisis and who can't get it up.

Narrated by each family member in turn (the characterisation is superb, the voices pitch-perfect), Laura Hird's accomplished debut novel is a cross between James Kelman's Busconductor Hines, Alan Warner's Morvern Callar and the Pogues' Fairytale of New York. The result is a gritty, witty, eventful and surprisingly warm-hearted tale. --Lisa Gee

Jake is a computer games obsessive whose other hobbies include 1)tormenting a teacher who wears "revolting tight trousers that make his balls look like a ballet dancer's" and pungent aftershave and, therefore, must be gay and 2) masturbating over defaced pictures of Kate Moss in his mum's old issues of Marie Claire. Older sister Joni is 15, shoplifts from British Home Stores (because it's easy), skives off school, alternately envies and falls out with best mate Rosie and is desperate to lose her virginity before she hits 16. Mum (Angie) is a frowsy, late-thirty-something who snores, works in a bookies and suspects that her (younger) manager Raymond just might be flirting with her. And Dad (Vic) is a gentle hippy of a bus driver who missed out on university because Angie got pregnant, is helpless in the face of his children's teenage angst, his wife's mid-life crisis and who can't get it up.

Narrated by each family member in turn (the characterisation is superb, the voices pitch-perfect), Laura Hird's accomplished debut novel is a cross between James Kelman's Busconductor Hines, Alan Warner's Morvern Callar and the Pogues' Fairytale of New York. The result is a gritty, witty, eventful and surprisingly warm-hearted tale. --Lisa Gee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.