Avalon

Avalon by Nell Zink tells the story of Bran, whose Southern California upbringing is anything but traditional. After her mother abandons her to join a Buddhist colony, Bran is raised by her 'common-law stepfather' on Bourdon Farms - a plant nursery that doubles as a cover for a biker gang. She spends her days tending plants, slogging through high school, and imagining what life could be if she had been born to a different family.

Then she meets Peter, a charming, troubled college student from the East Coast, who launches his teaching career by initiating her into the world of art. The two begin a seemingly doomed long-distance relationship as Bran searches for meaning in her own surroundings. She knows how to survive, but now she must learn how to live.

Praise for The Wallcreeper:

'Alluring, elliptical, exceptional ...' Sunday Times

'Every page is an angular masterpiece ...' Dazed

'Fierce, striking and original...' Guardian

'Heady and rambunctious ... this book is a wild thing' New York Times Book Review

'Strange, hilarious, and utterly captivating' Harpers Bazaar

'A work of bizarre brilliance' New Statesman

Praise for Mislaid:

'Audacious and exciting' Independent

'Zink is a comic writer par excellence' New Yorker

'Direct, provocative and self-knowing... a unique romp of a book' Irish Times

'Funny, sexy and daring' Observer

'An extraordinary talent' Daily Telegraph