Careless

At 3.04 p.m. on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out she's pregnant.

She could tell her social worker Henry, but he's useless.

She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won't understand.

She really ought to tell Boy, but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks.

Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions.

But this isn't a love story...

“Vivid, bold and beautifully observed' ABBIE GREAVES, author of The Silent Treatment

Such an elegant and empathic book, with characters I feel I've known forever. A portrait of how it feels to be young, brazen and terrified' JESSICA MOOR, author of Keeper”

The literary equivalent of gold dust BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
I am so proud of my super-talented former student, Kirsty Capes. I'm so impressed with how her writing has flourished with the cracking characters and energetic prose of her fantastic debut novel BERNARDINE EVARISTO
Moving and beautifully-written LIBBY PAGE
Vivid, bold and beautifully observed ABBIE GREAVES
A story of every day, that is never told ANSTEY HARRIS
Real, raw, heart-wrenching and so wonderfully written JESSICA RYN
Heroic and powerful, but also tender; this is such an important novel CHARLOTTE MENDELSON
So good I'm lying in a tepid bath because my 15 minutes reading turned into 45. What a voice! AMY BEASHEL
Elegant and empathic [...] a portrait of how it feels to be young, brazen and terrified JESSICA MOOR
I felt this book in my gut! It's funny, it's emotional, and at times definitely heartbreaking, but Bess is a hero you can believe in JENDELLA BENSON
It's not often that life in care is talked about, which is just one of the reasons we love this book COSMOPOLITAN
Careless stands out, a coming-of-age novel that draw's on the author's own experience of growing up in care DAILY MAIL
With a funny and flawed heroine, this is a book that deserves to be a huge hit STYLIST
Bess's narration is neither bitter nor self-pitying. Rather, her pragmatism, and humour, make her a compelling protagonist BBC

Kirsty Capes works in publishing and, as a care leaver, is an advocate for better representation for care-experienced people in the media. She recently completed her PhD which investigates female-centric care narratives in contemporary fiction, under the supervision of 2019 Booker prize-winner, Bernardine Evaristo. Careless is her first novel.

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022! A COSMOPOLITAN , BBC , STYLIST, DAILY MAIL, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING and GUARDIAN BEST BOOK PICK!' Astounding. Heart-breaking but hopeful, and a fresh new voice ' PANDORA SYKES 'Moving and beautifully written' LIBBY PAGE 'Made me laugh and cry in equal measure' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ' A book that deserves to be a huge hit ' STYLIST 'The literary equivalent of gold dust' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH 'An incredible debut novel. Kirsty Capes is one to watch' RED 'A powerful coming-of-age debut' MARIE CLAIRE 'Vigorous and insightful' DAILY MAIL *** Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks... At 3.04 p.m. on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out she's pregnant. She could tell her social worker Henry, but he's useless. She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won't understand.She really ought to tell Boy, but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks. Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions. But this isn't a love story... Praise for Careless : 'Vivid, bold and beautifully observed' ABBIE GREAVES , author of The Silent Treatment 'Moving and beautifully-written - a voice and a story that needs to be heard' LIBBY PAGE , author of The Lido 'A story of every day, that is never told. Uplifting and simultaneously heart-breaking' ANSTEY HARRIS , author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton 'A thought-provoking and compelling coming-of-age story, with a fearless and funny protagonist in Bess' RICHARD ROPER , author of Something to Live For 'Real, raw, heart-wrenching and so wonderfully written. A truly honest coming-of-age story. I laughed, cried, squirmed and couldn't stop reading' JESSICA RYN , author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside 'Heroic and powerful, but also tender; this is such an important novel' CHARLOTTE MENDELSON , author of Daughters of Jerusalem 'The literary equivalent of gold dust' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH 'So good I'm lying in a tepid bath because my 15 minutes reading turned into 45. What a voice!' AMY BEASHEL , author of The Sky is Mine Such an elegant and empathic book, with characters I feel I've known forever. A portrait of how it feels to be young, brazen and terrified' JESSICA MOOR , author of Keeper

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