Publisher's Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Nathan Filer's THE SHOCK OF THE FALL and Mark Haddon's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, comes the book of the year.... A spellbinding first novel by a British author about how obsessions and phobias can upend your entire life.
This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It's about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love - in any of its forms - and nurturing it.
Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories - Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah - but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple.
