Northern soul revival - Claire Moss

'Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?' 'I'm asking you to be my family. You can be my girlfriend too though, if you like.' Carl has always carried a vague torch for his old friend Joss, one that has burned brighter as the rest of his life continues to disappoint him. The night before he skips the country to find himself a future he decides to live out his fantasy, giving not one fleeting half-thought to the consequences. Being with Joss is everything he imagined. So much so that he can't forget her, despite his now being on the other side of the world and having - somehow - ended up with a new girlfriend.Joss can't forget that night for a very different reason. One that becomes clear a few months later when she wees on a plastic stick and is confronted with two blue lines. Homeless, loveless, planless, she tries to face reality but, on reflection, decides against it - after all, it's not like she's actually going to have the baby. Probably. Set in the north of England and the south of the world, this is a story of one-sided love, of growing up, and of the choices we settle for when we have run out of options.