HENRY Elinsky, who lives at home with his warring parents, jumps at the chance of staying with his brother in New York.
Life in the Big Apple, though, is not as glamorous as he's envisaged when he lands a job at the zoo and spends his time shovelling dung.
Henry's dreams are also shattered as love for a neighbour goes unrequited and when he realises he's never going to make it as a professional musician.
Funny and touching by turns, this tale of a young man's tricky progress into adulthood is an excellent debut novel.
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