Out of Breath

Flynn is a thirteen-year-old girl caught between her violent, out-of-control brother, Sam, and her mother, who is struggling to cope. And then, one impossibly hot night, a strange half-feral boy called Alex turns up at the bottom of Flynn's garden. Alex is one of three runaways; there's also Diana, who has just had a baby, and Mouse, who is only six and already an accomplished arsonist.

With Flynn and Sam in tow, the rag tag group of children venture into the deserted countryside, pursued by a terrifying and unseen man. Deep in the woods, they stumble across an abandoned cottage which seems to offer refuge but soon begins to reveal its dark and terrifying secrets...

Review: A sweetly corrupt exploration of the childhood fantasy of running away... Myerson is a beautiful conjurer of subtly disturbing atmospheres...haunting -- Jane Shilling * Sunday Telegraph *

A mythical rite-of-passage novel... mysterious and multi-layered * Independent *

Compulsively readable and richly inventive... bittersweet, authentic and loveable * Guardian *

Myerson is a surefooted guide along the wobbly line that separates the real from the surreal ... Myerson captures [adolescence] beautifully in Flynn's compelling voice. The opening of the novel is crisp and immediate, the prose simple and direct ...More than just a coming-of-age story, Out of Breath is a timely reminder about the importance of not growing up too quickly * New Statesman *

A truly original read, transcending many of the usual boundaries found in fiction * Scotland on Sunday *