Aspiring

Sixteen-year-old Ricky has a part time job in a cafe in a South Island town beingtransformed by tourism. Over several months, as Ricky bicycles through the townand his daily round, we bear witness to his friendships, the trial and hilarity ofschool, his stirrings for prickly Keri, the mystery of Mr Le Clair and his Cadillac, andthe truth of his small family's sadness.

Aspiring is a wonderfully surprising YA novel from one of New Zealand's most significant writers. Damien Wilkins's comically poignant narrative showcases hisconsiderable gifts for character and dialogue, and his wry take on human drivesand frailties; for the first time, though, his focus is on a Kiwi boy in the full internalriot and uncertainty of adolescence.

Featured in the 25 November 2019 New Zealand newsletter.
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