Read more
Francis Wootton's first memory is of Kurt Cobain's death and there have since been other hardships much closer to home. At fifteen, he knows all about loss and rejection, and if he's honest, Francis - would-be poet, possible intellectual - feels he is wasted in Tyne and Wear. Lower Fifth is supposed to be his time : but when he is diagnosed with leukaemia, a whole new world of worry presents itself. There's the horror of being held back a year at school, the threat of imminent baldness. But he hadn't reckoned on meeting Amber and finding a reason to tackle it all - the good the bad and everything in-between - head on.
Summary
In Bloom is a bright, funny, painful and refreshing novel about wanting the very best from life, even when life shows you how very bad it can be. It is a story about how to live.
Report
Matthew Crow writes with so much heart that In Bloom practically beats as you read it... In Bloom floored me. It became my primary relationship, people faded around me, emails remained unwritten, shops literally flooded and no friend seemed quite as interesting or engaging as the characters in the book... Matthew Crow has created an original teenage hero to join the ranks of the great. Engaging, ridiculous and brilliant all at once. Whether you are 14 or 40, run to your nearest bookshop and treat yourself to a copy at once. (Tamara) Tales on Moon Lane Bookshop
