Compelling drama in which 17-year-old Ellis comes to terms with the meaning of death...Ellis is an ordinary 17-year-old; someone who"s planning to finish school and go to university like any other teenager. The difference is that four months ago, his best friend Simon killed himself. Still - that was four months ago. Ellis has now "got over it". Except, of course, he hasn"t. Returning to his home town, he gets drawn into a situation in which the "old" Ellis would never have become embrangled. He gatecrashes a party and persuaded to "rescue" two sisters - Ursa and Leo, driving them back to the Land of Smiles - the ex-motel where they live. From that moment on, nothing is the same again. The story is narrated hour-by-hour, as Ellis packs a life-time of experiences into the next twenty-four hours. Giving in to high spirits and booze, Ellis wakes next morning in a strange bed, with a stonking hangover and a shaven head! He learns that a child has been kidnapped, and is persuaded to help in her rescue...This is a bizarre, surreal and powerful novel in which the reader is taken on the same roller-coaster ride as Ellis.