eBook: 4 a.m. by Nina de la Mer

Life-affirming raving soon gives way to gloomy, drug-fuelled nights in fast-food restaurants, at sex shows, and in Turkish dive bars. As a succession of events ratchets up the pressure on Cal and Manny their friendship is tested, a secret is revealed, and a shocking betrayal changes one of their lives forever. Drawing on personal experience and extensive research, 4 a.m. is an iconic novel of friendship and betrayal, hedonism and military discipline. Driven by two distinctive voices, and written in a lively and buzzing style, Nina de la Mer’s debut novel holds a mirror up to youth culture at the end of the twentieth century. The reflection is not always a flattering one. "'This novel blew me away… Nina de la Mer gives a wonderful, compelling portrayal of the army’s need to break young soldiers and rebuild them in the desired form. This comes at a human cost, and the reader sees it and feels it… It’s not Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman: it’s a fraction of the glamour but so much more meaningful… This is a novel that, at first, is warm and humorous. But with time and growing realisation, it becomes pretty bleak. The ending (I won’t spoil it) is deeply moving and handled with great sensitivity… Right now, it is January. Have I already read my book of the year?'" - Bookgroup Info