Published: First in America in 1989, this GB edition published in 2013 by Granta Genre: Fiction Themes: teenage friendships, family dynamics, new relationships, school My rating (out of 5): ❤❤❤❤ This is a novel about a family break up in America where Jack's father leaves home to begin a new relationship with a man. Looking at this story line in 2021, that is not very remarkable, but back in 1989 when the book was written, it must have been quite startling for a lot of people. Jack is an only child approaching his sixteenth birthday, and when his father first leaves home he assumes it is because his parents can no longer live together as they argue so much. It is only after a few months of being away that Jack's father takes him out on a boat for the day and explains that the man he is living with is not just a room-mate but a new partner. Up until this point Jack had coped well with his parents' break up, and even accepted his Mother's new par...