When council estate kid Caroline falls off her bike outside Mark"s parents" house, she unwittingly finds herself becoming part of a surrogate family. It"s light years away from her own home, a dingy flat with her numerous half-siblings and an unemployed mother. But later in life it is Caroline who has prospects, having been to university, while Mark is hanging out in pubs and wondering whether he can get away with not committing to his long-term girlfriend. Written in Goffin"s inimitable and witty style, this is an impressive novel of social realism about life, aspirations, and the ties that bind us to our homes despite everything.