'A-S-B-O - you think that makes you special. But it doesn't. It means you were stupid enough to get caught, that's all. I should have one. I should have the biggest ASBO there is. I want a poster with my face on.'

When JB is served with an ASBO for joy-riding and sent to paint beach huts for the summer in Kent, it looks as if he has a chance to turn his life around. But then he encounters Moey and his gang, and his future seems to hang in the balance. Separated from his mother and under a strict curfew, only his attraction to Sal seems to give him a reason to keep going. But a storm is coming that threatens to shatter his hopes and destroy the relationship that could redeem him.

'An excellent debut novel, definitely in my top ten of the year.' The Bookseller

'Finely crafted and often lyrical debut novel . . . JB shakes hands across time with Dickens's Pip. Let's have a sequel soonish.' Boyd Tonkin, The Independent

'Gripping' Kent on Sunday 

'Rhodes asks important questions about social justice, but also tells a compelling human story. An impressive debut' New Statesman

'Moving and atmospheric, this coming-of-age tale also has political bite . . . freshness and insight' Guardian