Alex is a drifter, a permanent guest in other people’s lives. She lives a dangerous, hand-to-mouth existence, moving from place to place, using people to get what she needs, sometimes stealing small amounts, always on the lookout for the next opportunity, the next free beer or ice cream or the next place to charge her phone. She is socially adept, skilled at assimilating herself within a party before anyone realises they don’t actually know who she is. Although let down by an overly abrupt ending, this is a compelling read from Emma Cline, the author of the excellent The Girls.
Chris Hallam's World View 