LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION
ЅELECTED BY THE TELEGRAPH AS ONE OF THE FOUR BEST DEBUTS OF THE YEAR
´A tense, yet tender portrait of a father and son trying to escape life on the margin. Determination and despair collide in this unforgettable debut, with an ending that broke my heart´ Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain
Evicted from their trailer on New Year´s Eve, Henry and his son, Junior, have been reduced to living out of a pick-up truck. Six months later, things are even more desperate. Henry, barely a year out of prison for selling drugs, is down to his last pocketful of cash, and little remains between him and the street. But hope is on the horizon: today is Junior´s birthday, and Henry has a job interview tomorrow.
To celebrate, Henry treats Junior to dinner at McDonald´s, followed by a night in a real bed at a discount hotel. For a moment, as Junior watches TV and Henry practises for his interview in the bathtub, all seems well. But after Henry has a disastrous altercation in the parking lot and Junior succumbs to a fever, father and son are sent into the night, struggling to hold things together.
Each chapter of this deeply emotional and compassionate novel begins with amount of money in Henry´s pocket, showing how literally father and son´s fortunes can turn on a dime. Can they make it through tomorrow?