Cows Can't Jump

Philip Bowne

From Shelf: Neem Tree Press

From debut novelist Philip Bowne, winner of the Spotlight First Novel prize, comes this explosive coming-of-age odyssey that catapults 18-year-old Billy Reed across Europe. Billy has just left school and is desperate to escape middle England. Meeting Eva, though, changes everything.

Cows Can't Jump is a romantic comedy of errors about breaking out, following your dreams, and finding a sense of purpose.

How far would you go for love?

18-year-old Billy Reed has few qualifications but is desperate to leave home. He's working a dead-end job as a gravedigger, his parent's marriage is falling apart, his Grandad's engaged to a woman half his age, and he's never been kissed. But when Billy meets Eva, an older, mysterious girl from Switzerland, things start to change.

Eva is all that Billy isn't: she's passionate about Russian literature, Gary Numan, windfarms and chai tea, and always ready for adventure. She makes Billy want to break out of his comfort zone and live his life to the fullest. But when Eva returns to Switzerland, Billy is heartbroken.

He gambles everything for a chance to be with her: scrambling across Europe, hitch-hiking with truckers, walking with refugees, and encountering suicidal cows. But the further he goes, the harder it is to be sure what he's chasing-and what he's running from.