Description
An original and unforgettable coming-of-age novel from a formidable new talent, taking the reader inside the brilliant, fizzing mind of a teenage girl with ADHD as she navigates family and opportunity in post-industrial Scotland
This isn't just a great first novel; it's a great novel. And Cora, the mad, chaotic, wise, funny narrator, is one of the great characters
It's not every day you read a modern classic. But this feels destined to become one. A thunderous achievement
Only Here, Only Now heralds the arrival of an urgent and unique new voice, as engaging and as startling as Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Morvern Callar or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and will surely be hailed as one of the great British debut novels
Tom Newlands is the real thing. His story will change you
A funny, truthful, heartbreaking yet hopeful read
Tom Newland's Only Here, Only Now is a piercing howl of a novel, sharp, elegant and humane. I loved it
A breathtaking debut from an exciting new storytelling talent. Wise, funny, tragic and hopeful.Cora and her world are heart-rendingly authentic
An astonishing debut, full of grit, humour and truth. I defy you not to fall in love with Cora Mowat
I loved Only Here, Only Now. Tender, achingly funny and full of truth
Only Here, Only Now is one of the best debuts I've read in years. Cora Mowat is an iconic heroine, growing up against the odds; she's a feisty, Impulse-drenched, Lilt-blooded smasher of a main character and Tom Newland's prose is fierce and tender, taking us straight to the thudding heart of Cora's chaotic life. A wonderful, gut-wrenching, heart-soaring novel
In a tremendous act of empathy, in his debut novel Tom Newlands describes both an abandoned, neglected landscape - the small Scottish seaside town of Muircross after the collapse of the mining industry - and what it is like to be inside the mind of a young girl, Cora Mowat, who has undiagnosed ADHD. By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, this is a story of survival against grim odds, superbly spun by a narrator grappling to get to grips with both herself and the incomprehensible world around her. Cora Mowat is my kind of weirdo
A coming-of-age novel that takes the reader inside the brilliant, fizzing mind of a teenage girl with ADHD growing up in post-industrial Scotland. Funny and fierce
Heartbreaking and hilarious . . . the story of a Scottish girl with undiagnosed ADHD, trying to make sense of the world
Think Shuggie Bain. Think Trainspotting. Think The Cutting Room. You can add Tom Newlands to that list. Only Here, Only Now is the Scottish writer's debut novel and it's a brammer . . . A vivid, synesthetic piece of writing . . . What's thrilling is that the book goes in the directions you are not expecting. And at its heart there is the unmistakeable voice of this flawed, messy, anxious, kind of heroic teenage girl. The Scottish book of the summer
Rich and vivid . . . Tom Newlands may make several prize lists for his stunning debut, a portrait of a teenager with undiagnosed ADHD in a working-class, post-industrial community in Scotland . . . Newlands's impulsive, bold protagonist, who dreams big despite having very little, is richly layered . . . This sprawling coming-of-age tale explores poverty, belonging, grief and rage, and Newlands writes with such energy that his book, though bleak, is hard to put down . . . But what impresses most is the author's compassion for his flawed characters. There's humour as well as love, hope and resilience in this accomplished novel
Rich and vivid . . . Tom Newlands may make several prize lists for his stunning debut, a portrait of a teenager with undiagnosed ADHD in a working-class, post-industrial community in Scotland . . . Newlands's impulsive, bold protagonist, who dreams big despite having very little, is richly layered . . . This sprawling coming-of-age tale explores poverty, belonging, grief and rage, and Newlands writes with such energy that his book, though bleak, is hard to put down . . . But what impresses most is the author's compassion for his flawed characters. There's humour as well as love, hope and resilience amidst the ugliness in this accomplished novel
Tom Newlands is a Scottish author living in London. He is the winner of a London Writer's Award and a Creative Future Writer's Award. In 2021 he was selected for New Writing North's 'A Writing Chance,' which aimed to showcase the most talented writers in the UK from under-represented backgrounds. Only Here, Only Now is his first novel.