Cows Can't Jump. This item is unavailable.Cows Can't Jump

How far would you go for love?

Winner of the Spotlight First Novel prize, Philip Bowne's debut novel is an explosive coming-of-age odyssey. 18-year-old Billy is desperate to leave home. He's working the ultimate dead-end job as a grave-digger. His Grandad's engaged to a woman half his age, his Dad's become obsessed with boxing, and his Mum's certainly having an affair. Everything is changing, and Billy hates it.

Meeting the older, mysterious Eva, though, changes everything. She's passionate about Russian literature, Gary Numan, windfarms and chai tea, and Billy gambles everything for a chance to be with her. His scramble across Europe involves hitch-hiking with truckers, walking with refugees, and an encounter with suicidal cows. But the further he goes, the harder it is to be sure what he's chasing - and what he's running from.

For everyone who wants to break out and follow their dreams.

Phil lives in London and works as a writer for The Wombles, a forthcoming children’s TV show and book series. His novel, Cows Can’t Jump, was recently awarded the Spotlight First Novel Prize. Last year, the text was selected to be read at literary event Novel London. His short fiction has been published in the UK, US and Canada. He's worked as a travel writer for Lonely Planet and The Guardian, and in 2016 he worked as a volunteer in the Calais ‘jungle’ refugee camp, which inspired the section in the novel where Billy walks north with a group of refugees.