Winter Damage

Description

*Shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase Award* On a frozen Cornish moor, a fourteen-year-old girl lives in a trailer with her dad and little brother. Ennor's mother left years ago, when things started to go wrong - and gradually their world has fallen apart. Now her father's gravely ill, school has closed, and Ennor knows they're going to take her brother away if things don't pick up soon. Days before Christmas, when the wind is cold and her dad's health takes a turn for the worse, Ennor packs a blanket, a map, a saucepan and a gun into her rucksack, and sets off to find her mum and bring her home. Ennor thinks she knows where she's going. But this journey will change her life for ever - it becomes a battle for survival, a heartbreaking story of love and friendship, and a fable about not finding what you were looking for, but finding something more important instead . . . A bone-chillingly powerful debut novel that traps you in its icy grasp then thaws you from the heart out - for readers of Meg Rosoff, Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness

Natasha is a Country Writer from Cornwall where she lives with her girlfriend of nineteen years. She has had three books of poetry published. Her first novel Winter Damage was nominated for the 2014 Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for several national awards including the prestigious Branford Boase Award 2014. The Light That Gets Lost is due to be published autumn 2015. She has recently completed her third book, also for Bloomsbury. She occasionally runs 'Wild Writing' workshops but spends most of her time writing outside in all weathers. She is also a survival expert and trained walks guide.

A heart-rending quest story about children in a bitterly cold, climate-changed Cornwall, searching for the everyday comforts and love of the world so recently lost -- Susan Elkin * The Independent * A tough, heart-breaking story of loss, fear and friendship * We love This Book * A poetic, chilling and moving debut * Lovereading.co.uk * Small but perfectly formed, Winter Damage is the sort of book that begs to be read out loud, even if there's no-one else near to hear it. It's a stone-cold stunner with an uncommonly humble heart, and I urge you to take in into yours, too -- Niall Alexander * Tor.com * A beautiful book. It's mysterious and lyrical, sad but hopeful, and truly unforgettable. * The Bookbag.co.uk Top Teen Reads 2013 * Introducing a resourceful teenage heroine in bitter circumstances . . . This gripping quest tale is set in Cornwall in a near future suffering the effects of climate change and social collapse. Ennor sets out across the frozen moors to bring her mother home for Christmas, learning survival skills and the meaning of friendship from a gypsy girl and eventually joined by her younger brother and a childhood friend -- Geraldine Brennan * The Observer *