The ice age - Kirsten Reed

'WE LEFT A TIP AND THE WAITRESS SHOT US WHAT I SUPPOSE WAS INTENDED TO BE A LOOK OF GRATITUDE. SHE REALLY ONLY MANAGED A WEAK GLARE. I GUESS THAT'S THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR YOU. PEOPLE ARE A LITTLE EDGY.'

A young inquisitive girl hitches a lift with an older charismatic Bohemian man. Neither has a final destination in mind, and so they find themselves drifting aimlessly through middle America; driving, smoking, sharing confidences, looking out for each other, and stopping as and when the mood takes them. Their relationship is pure, simple -- and when they do finally have sex, it's she who makes the first move. But this is a strange, stolen time that must come to an end: the girl will grow up; the man's past will catch up with him; and the world outside will not accept their relationship.

With shades of Lolita and Morvern Callar, The Ice Age is a remarkable first novel, with an exceptional voice that's both seductive and compelling, and which readers will quite simply fall in love with.