Sal

　　在殺了母親的暴力狂男友後，13歲的薩爾計畫帶著10歲的妹妹佩佩逃出她們居住的格拉斯哥。在實踐出逃計畫前，薩爾花了一年準備一切：她從學校圖書館偷了一張軍事測量地圖，用偷來的信用卡在亞馬遜網站上買了指南針、一把貝爾求生刀、防水套以及急救包。她從Youtube上學習生存技能，這足以讓她和妹妹進入蘇格蘭山區求生。

　　現在，薩爾知道很多事。在野外，薩爾用白樺樹搭建了一個庇護所，並學會生火，還知道怎麼測量距離，如何設陷阱抓兔子，或是使用氣槍。

　　《Sal》是兩姐妹逃離虐待和痛苦的故事，是一個令人不安卻又令人振奮的生存故事。陌生人的善良以及姐妹之間的愛，形成一股不可忽視的力量，是2018年最值得認識的新小說之一。(文/博客來編譯)

　　AN OBSERVER 'NEW FACE OF FICTION 2018'

　　This is a story of something like survival.

　　Sal planned it for almost a year before they ran. She nicked an Ordnance Survey map from the school library. She bought a compass, a Bear Grylls knife, waterproofs and a first aid kit from Amazon using stolen credit cards. She read the SAS Survival Handbook and watched loads of YouTube videos.

　　And now Sal knows a lot of stuff. Like how to build a shelter and start a fire. How to estimate distances, snare rabbits and shoot an airgun. And how to protect her sister, Peppa. Because Peppa is ten, which is how old Sal was when Robert started on her.

　　Told in Sal's distinctive voice, and filled with the silent, dizzying beauty of rural Scotland, Sal is a disturbing, uplifting story of survival, of the kindness of strangers, and the irrepressible power of sisterly love; a love that can lead us to do extraordinary and unimaginable things.

　　Review

　　"Daring and original . . . Manages to feel both contemporary and timeless, both heart-rending and uplifting . . . Sal deserves to be one of this year's hits." (Observer)

　　"Sal is an inspiring novel that feels honest and fastidious. It introduces the theme of redemption and fresh beginnings without shying from the awful truth" (Financial Times)

　　"Just *wonderful*. A breath of fresh air in a book. Sal is a story with incredible heart, told so beautifully and with such clarity and grace I can hardly believe it's a debut! I loved it" (JOANNA CANNON, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP)

　　"Gripping and hopeful" (ELLE, Book Club Pick)

　　"Sal is spellbinding, that rare gem of a novel that effortlessly explores what it is to be a human existing in an often brittle and unkind world. Sal's voice is one of the most compelling I've read in a long time. A luminous debut" (SARAH SCHMIDT, author of SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE)

　　"Sal is a triumph. It's a modern adventure story of siblings on the run in 'the Last Great Wilderness' of Scotland. But it's much, much, more than this. Sal, and her sister Peppa, are vivid and compelling - their relationship and their voices ring utterly true. Shot through with deft humour and a humane, sometimes harrowing, honesty, Kitson's characters will stay with me for a very long time" (JESS KIDD, author of HIMSELF)

　　"A genuinely wondrous novel, combining the beautiful rural detail of an Arthur Ransome adventure with a touching story of sisterhood and family trauma. The descriptions of the Scottish landscape are so resonant you can smell the pine needles. It's been a long time since I've felt this involved with a character and her struggle" (KEITH STUART, author of A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS)

　　"An exhilarating teen runway novel" (Anita Sethi iNews, Ten debut novels to look out for)