England. 1976. Jean – a teenage boy – is getting a mild dressing down in the headmaster’s study at Compton Manor. The headmaster is David Larkin, although he insists that the boys – and they’re all boys at his school – call him Davey. (It’s that type of school.) “Davey” also encourages the boys to be outside as much as possible, exploring the “fertile land of this blessed place”. It’s a maxim that Jean has taken to heart, particularly when he’s with Tom. The pair have developed an intimacy that’s imbued with desire, but also something else. ‘Jean’ is the debut novel from Madeleine Dunnigan and with it she’s managed to swerve many of the pitfalls and cliches of coming-of-age stories. Set over the long-hot summer of 1976, the narrative thrums with erotic heat but it also casts a wider net to examine notions of loss and self-fulfilment, all done in a language that is lean but carrying enormous weight. RM

Published by Daunt Books