First Novel

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Paul Auster, Julian Baker, Christopher Burns, Jonathan Coe, James Dingemans, Gareth Evans, Tom Fletcher, Dan Franklin, Myriam Frey, Steve Hollyman, Siri Hustvedt, Juliet Jacques, Stan Jawando, Christopher Kenworthy, Ladies of Lumb, Joel Lane, Stephen McGeagh, Jeannie Mackie, Frances MacMillan, Steven Messer, David Milner, More Maniacs, Mark Morris, Victoria Murray-Browne, John Oakey, Ra Page, Geeta Roopnarine, David Rose, Nicholas Royle, Kate Ryan, John Saddler, Ros Sales, Michael Marshall Smith, Joe Stretch, Colin Thompson, Will Vandyck, Conrad Williams.

Thank you to my family for their encouragement and support and to all my students and colleagues, past and present, at the Manchester Writing School at MMU.

I would like to mention Stars of the Lid, whose album And Their Refinement of the Decline I listened to constantly while writing the book, particularly the tracks ‘Tippy’s Demise’ and ‘December Hunting for Vegetarian Fuckface’.

Some short sections of the novel first appeared in earlier versions in Ambit, Black Static, Exotic Gothic 2 (Ash Tree Press), Rainy City Stories and Vertigo. Thank you to my editors, Martin Bax, Andy Cox, Danel Olson, Kate Feld and Gareth Evans, respectively.