QUIRKY, original and darkly comic Powder Monkey by Karen Sainsbury tells the story of Keith, an 18 year old no-hoper and his dysfunctional family.

Living in rural Somerset with his surly sheep-farming father, his unfulfilled mother who dreams of fleeing to Albania and his brothers Tam and Cameron, Keith is stuck in a rut. With no qualifications, no girlfriend, no money and only his obsession with astronomy things aren't looking too bright.

Not shying away from emotional intensity Sainsbury guides us through Keith's early life with fasacinating style.

(Weidenfeld & Nicolson £14.99).