How to Leave the House

It's Natwest's last day before he leaves for university, and there's only one thing on his mind: the deeply embarrassing package he ordered to his house - which still hasn't arrived. He won't leave town without it. Any alternative is too distressing to consider ...

This is the story of twenty-four hours in the life of NATWEST, and his small-town odyssey in pursuit of the missing package. And yet it's also the story of a MIDDLE-AGED DENTIST who dreams of being a respected artist - but the only thing he can seem to paint is the human mouth. And it's the story of a TORTURED IMAM involved in a quasi-romantic entanglement with the local vicar; and an OCTOGENARIAN mourning the death of her secretive husband; and a TROUBLED TEENAGER whose nudes have leaked on the internet. It's the story of Natwest's obnoxious EX-BOYFRIEND, and his CLASS-TRAITOR MOTHER and her CHILDHOOD BOYFRIEND, and the life-changing secrets he knows about Natwest's past.

Alternating between Natwest's idiosyncratic inner world and the perspectives of the other characters - and dazzling in its energy, imagination and originality - this is an outrageously funny and tenderly moving story about being connected to everyone and everything at all times; about love, friendship, and the lies we tell ourselves; about unhappy endings, happy endings - and whether anything really is as simple as one or the other.

Bursts upon the palate like drain fluid ... a wild and funny ride through modern life Financial Times
A really terrific, inventive and compelling read - and also very funny -- Ben Elton
Raucous, smart and funny ... intelligent prose, insightful commentary and compelling characters Kirkus
Witty, sharply observed and truly original Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies
Most books that claim to be funny aren't actually all that funny. How to Leave the House is a rare exception - genuinely hilarious, utterly obnoxious, impressively daring Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass
How to Leave the House is gobby, barbed, and garrulous; a novel that takes swings, with swagger -- Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary and Attrib. and other stories
Nathan Newman's How to Leave the House is a brilliant exploration of the many absurd and human ways that our lives intersect. Their sharp, honest prose skillfully reveals the vulnerability and desire coursing through the center of characters. This is the rare novel that is just as compassionate as it is funny, as engaging as it is smart." -- Isle McElroy, author of People Collide
It's impossible not to be charmed by this big-hearted story ... it's so sweet and fun - an exciting debut from an author whose assuredness and polish could easily be mistaken for that of an old pro Bustle
It's a witty, sprawling story about life's big changes and the things that never change, told with style and smarts by a remarkable new voice Town and Country
It is a miracle to pull of the feat of being wickedly scabrous (incurring in this reader loud snorts of laugher throughout) and managing somehow to be generous and ultimately warm-hearted too; a miracle that Nathan Newman pulls off brilliantly. What a debut -- Stephen Fry
Newman's entertaining debut feels fresh and young, portraying modern life with a mixture of humour and reflection Washington Post
Rich with pathos and humour ... A bold new fiction voice Daily Mail
Uproarious ... Generous and witty, as bewitched by aesthetics as it is certain of the virtues of good old-fashioned compassion ... filled with richly observed artistic references reminiscent of Ali Smith ... Newman weaves the analytical and the absurd with a raucous grace. Profound - and profoundly sidesplitting New York Times
This zippy novel takes place in the course of twenty-four hours on the day before the protagonist is meant to leave for university ... sprinkled throughout are wide-ranging cultural references-from Charlie Chaplin to broken phone screens-that nod at humanity's interconnectedness, and, ultimately, help the boy learn that his is only one among many rich lives New Yorker

Nathan Newman is a 26-year-old non-binary writer. They studied at NYU, where they garnered praise from a number of notable authors. Their short stories have also won awards (James Knudsen Prize for Fiction) and they have been published in literary journals in the US and several university anthologies in the UK. As well as writing, Nathan works as an usher at a cinema.

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