Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Always the Sun is a brilliant novel about parenthood

What do you do when your son is bullied? How far will you go to protect him from those who seek to cause him harm?

Jamie is thirteen years old, an only child. His mother has recently died. He and his father Sam have moved to Sam's home town. A fresh start. An aunt to lend support. A new job for Sam, a new school for Jamie. But one day Jamie comes home, bearing the scars of every parent's nightmare.

Something must be done... So it begins.

Praise for Always the Sun:

‘Brilliantly and sympathetically written, it will strike cold fear into the heart of every parent' Daily Mail
 
'The stripped-down prose of Neil Cross is at once masterly, authoritative and tender throughout this superb and difficult novel. Outstanding' Big Issue
 
'Set to be his most successful yet... harrowing but gripping' Time Out
 
'A gripping journey to the limits of paternal emotions' Mail on Sunday
 
'Cross's grimly readable novel settles into a parent's nightmares and ties apprehensive knots in the reader's stomach' Guardian