First published 2007
Lawrence watches his mother pack their car in the middle of the night. His little sister doesn't grasp what's happening, but Lawrence knows they're running from something. He becomes the steady one as they drive across Europe toward Rome. What starts as an exciting escape transforms into something darker. Lawrence must navigate his mother's decisions and protect his sister as their Roman adventure becomes a trap. The boy who thought he was helping his family discovers that sometimes being the responsible one means facing truths no child should handle. This is a story about a young boy forced to grow up too quickly when the adults around him cannot cope.
Genres: literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forced-proximity, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Europe, Rome
Period: Contemporary
Hardcover · London : Picador
Content warnings: child-abuse, mental-illness