Wild Ground

A working-class Romeo and Juliet that will break your heart, this bittersweet debut novel follows two teenagers whose all-consuming relationship is tested by the forces of prejudice and addiction

'Aches with hard-won hope and bruised tenderness' Colin Walsh, author of Kala

'An intoxicating debut from a compelling new voice' Adelle Stripe, author of Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile

Neef and Danny. Danny and Neef. They were inseparable for all those years. Outsiders in their rural Yorkshire town, they clung to an imagined future achieved through Neef's talent for storytelling and Danny's for gardening. But as they grew older, their dreams strained against the same forces that held their families hostage: substance abuse, poverty, racism. They began to lose sight of their future and each other.

Now, Neef works in a cafe in London and calls herself Jennifer. Jennifer is sober and determined to stay anonymous, until Danny's father shows up looking for his missing son. As the memories she once fled resurface, Neef is forced to face the decisions she's made and the person she's become. Heartbreaking and hopeful, Wild Ground is an achingly tender novel of first love and second chances.

About the Author

Emily Usher grew up in West Yorkshire, and lived in Salford, Sheffield, and London before relocating to Australia. She was a winner of the Grieve Writing Competition (Hunters Writing Centre, NSW) for her short story 'Heartbeat'. Wild Ground is her first novel.