Instant Messages

Life is tough for fifteen-year-old computer nerd Olivia Best. Her twin sister Melanie, who used to be Olivia's best friend, has taken to drinking and self-harming. Her father has no job and a string of unpublished romance novels to his name. Olivia's mother has just left Olivia's father for her lesbian yoga teacher, Sue. To top things off, Olivia is being severely bullied by a gang of boys from a neighbouring estate. Together with her trusted ally, a stuffed toy green frog, Olivia attempts to navigate the stormy seas of her existence. Narrated by Olivia, INSTANT MESSAGES charts the progress of the twins and other family members. It is a fresh and contemporary look at British family life. Olivia is a typical teenage misfit. At the start of the novel, she is very much a loner, but as the book progresses, she is befriended by another misfit, who wins her over. When Olivia comes out of her shell enough to find the courage to audition for the school production, The Tempest, she befriends another girl her age, Hannah. On the final night of The Tempest, Olivia is approached by a film-maker, a friend of the school principal, who has come to the show to find talented adolescents to act in his new film. Alan, the father, copes fairly well with the departure of his wife, following his initial despair and disbelief. He takes a job as a journalist at the South London Press, finds a new lover in his colleague Judy, and attempts to discipline the girls. When Judy moves in with Olivia and Alan, a fresh set of problems arises.