Joyride - Dexter Petley

An unforgettable novel -- about carp fishing, madness, driving and love. From fishing for carp and trout in the waters of East Sussex, to driving the Dream Car across the cinematic America of his imagination, Josh's childhood had always been fuelled by the need to escape: from his father, always up to his oily elbows in Swarfega; his mother, just fed up with it all; Mr Chittenden next door, the grim gamekeeper who put a gun to his head and poached his own life. Years later, the moment Josh meets F in the tea shop at Highgate Ponds, he knows she is his last chance. Josh's old world disintegrates right there and together they travel to America to be with her family. But all families have a way of driving you mad. Slamming the front door and driving away is sometimes the only way out. Joyride is the story of Josh and F's journey across that vast country, fleeing their separate pasts. It is quite unlike anything else in contemporary fiction.