Prickle by Rachel Cleverly

Rachel Cleverly has mastered the art of sly transgression. The voice of her debut has a knack of rendering notions you feel perhaps can't or shouldn't be said. A deadpan dissection of modern living set against a backdrop of bed bugs, boyfriends, remote job interviews and incisive introspection, Prickle is finely and effortlessly balanced, capable of extracting a laugh or smile through a deft turn in spite of the ever present sense of disquiet and unease; somehow managing to feel both completely anchored in the present moment and timeless in the same turn.