Welcome to the jungle...
"Canning's writing is that rare thing in the world of books: original and totally honest. Outstanding. Breathtaking. By god it deserves a hearing." (On the Brinks bestselling author Sam Millar)
When the peeler threw me into the copcar the giggles went so fast it was like the door had slammed off sound.
Paul was going to kill me Paul was going to kill me-
There was me and Nicola and Gonzo, all crammed into the back seat and all shitting ourselves. The car reeked of Buckfast and cider.
Nicola had stopped laughing now. She stared out the windie with a tragic expression, like someone looking out to sea in memory of her dead husband. Gonzo was muttering something about getting peelers shot. And me?
I was dead I was dead I was dead.
Being fourteen is grim. Being Lisa O'Neill is hell.
Living in a rundown town, in a home where she's not wanted and with insecurities she'd rather die than reveal, Lisa's only lifelines are her friends and her dream of finally being on her own.
So when her best friend Nicola needs to run away - now, this minute - Lisa gets her big chance of finally being free. Now it's time for the life she's always craved, away from the hurt and shame that's dogged her all her life.
But in Lisa's world, dreams always come with a price...
How far would you go for a second chance?
A blisteringly raw and critically acclaimed coming-of-age story about a teenage girl on the run from herself.
"tragic, sad, infuriating, and very funny - and sometimes all of those at once. A superbly written book and I thoroughly recommend it."
"The author clearly knows her stuff, but, unlike a lot of writers who also 'know their stuff', proves adept at weaving that knowledge (and obvious compassion) into a powerful and gripping story."
"The most terrifying book I've ever read. It's scary because it bleeds truth. Incendiary reading. Exemplary writing. I read it in one sitting and couldn't move for an hour afterwards. In fact, I'm still having nightmares about it."
"I was totally blown away by this book and read it almost in one sitting."
"Exceptional. I was immediately captured by the powerful and witty writing."
"Parents!!: READ THIS BOOK! This book screams for you to read it and have long talks with your kids. Read this in one sitting. While it is very dark, there is still hope here. Read it Learn from it. Teach your children from it."
Klappentext
"...one of the most authentic teenage voices you'll ever read"
"Outstanding. Breathtaking. By god it deserves a hearing."
When running from the cops is just the start of your problems...
Northern Ireland, 1999.
A boot in the face. A broken nose. Blood on the classroom floor. And Lisa O'Neill and her best friend Nicola are fleeing from the police. Lisa thinks she's finally free from her crappy home life. But sometimes the worst things are those on the road ahead...the ones you have no clue about.
When running to is worse than running from. A blisteringly raw story of a teenage girl on the run from herself.
What readers are saying about Taste the Bright Lights: "... keeps you hooked from start to finish." "I was totally blown away by this book and read it almost in one sitting." "Canning's writing is that rare thing in the world of books: original and totally honest." "Exceptional. I was immediately captured by the powerful and witty writing." "...rings extremely true from the first beat" "The most terrifying book I've ever read. It's scary because it bleeds truth. Incendiary reading. Exemplary writing. I read it in one sitting and couldn't move for an hour afterwards. In fact, I'm still having nightmares about it." "... Powerful book that took my emotions on a rollercoaster ride. A must read." "had me laughing one minute and almost crying the next... can't rate it highly enough" "riveting from the beginning." "the voice never misses a beat" "Smart, witty, raw & unique... I couldn't put it down." "... tragic, sad, infuriating, and very funny - and sometimes all of those at once. A superbly written book." "one of those books that you can't put down." "keeps you hooked" "brilliant and compelling... should be on the syllabus of every secondary school" "This book completely knocked me sideways. It's a page-turner and an eye-opener... speaks for the disenchanted voice of a generation much like `Catcher in the Rye' would have done to the youth of the 50s." "gritty and realistic" "Move over, Ponyboy Curtis. Laura Canning's Taste the Bright Lights does for the twenty-first century teenager what S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders did in the twentieth. Sharp-eyed, smart-mouthed and cynical, Lisa O'Neill's first-person narration has a terrifying believability about it. The story-line hooks you immediately, leading you into the darkest corners of teenage life. This book deserves the widest possible audience. Read it and then tell others to read it. Brilliant writing."
SEQUEL OUT 29 MAY 2020 - AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW.