Sarah’s not abnormal or ugly, just a little bit fat, and she’s got cerebral palsy. ‘No way was it rape or even molestation…she’s fourteen, not a child. I’m not a paedophile.’ Gemma’s mother had shagged Tom Jones. Nobody knows who her father was, least of all her mother. Spiderman doesn’t want to inflict his petty thief persona on self-contained Caitlin, but he finds himself getting off at her stop. When her grandad's chickens start to peck each other, sounding like death warmed up, Chelle rings one of their necks and ends up doing worse. Her gentle, exact punishment is met with even greater respect for the old man.

Captures…the bubbling hormonal energy of teenagers…well-crafted and convincing.
The Independent

Winner of the 2006 Dylan Thomas Prize