Book of the Week - Chris Killen, The Bird Room

The Bird Room by Chris Killen is a first novel published by Canongate. The author is 28, lives in Manchester, and has a website for the book, a myspace page, a blog and recently gave an interview in second life. I think he may like cats. The novel has been widely noticed and praised. Keep an eye open for signed copies.

When a boy named Will meets Alice, he can't believe his luck. She's smart, sexy and, much to Will's surprise, in love with him. Alice brings meaning to his urban existence and his McJob. But the course of modern love did never run smooth and soon devotion leads Will to something darker. Elsewhere in the city Helen is an actress. Or she will be one day. For now she finds work as a model. She used to be called Clair, but she wants to be something new and she can be anyone. She's an actress, remember. This is a love story with a twist, this explosive debut novel brings Will and Helen's lives together in a tale as tight as rope and as black as tar. "The Bird Room" is a candid, funny, intimate portrait of a generation.