Only Here, Only Now
"Only Here, Only Now heralds the arrival of an urgent and unique new voice, as engaging and as startling as Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Morvern Callar or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time."--David Peace
A brilliant new talent writing from lived experience makes his debut with this irresistible and original story in the vein of Young Mungo and Hang the Moon, that pierces the beautiful, brilliant, and lightning-quick mind of a teenage girl growing up with undiagnosed ADHD in working-class Scotland.
In the blazing hot summer of 1994, there's nothing for Cora Mowat to do but hang around in empty parking lots. Stuck in her Mom's small house and tired of her own restless mind, she's desperate to break free of the limits of Fife but unsure of what the future holds--if it holds anything at all for a girl like her trying to find her way in the world.
After her mother invites a new man to live with them, tensions quickly rise in the cramped house. Gunner is kind but strange, too--a one-eyed shoplifter with more than a few hidden secrets. But when tragedy strikes shortly after, Cora rebels against her small-town existence in search of love, acceptance, and a path to something good. If only she can learn to navigate her grief and everything she thinks she knows about who she is and what she might be capable of, she may finally find the way forward.
In this extraordinary debut, drawn from experience but written with riotous imagination, Tom Newlands explores a teenage girl's coming-of-age in post-industrial Scotland and what it means to yearn for a life that feels out of reach. Vibrant, lyrical and fiercely funny, Only Here, Only Now is a story of identity and family that shines with hope and resilience.
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
Tom Newlands is a multiply neurodivergent Scottish writer. He is a recipient of the London Writer's Award for Literary Fiction, a Creative Future Writer's Award and a Creative Future/TLC Next Up Award. He was one of eleven writers selected for New Writing North's "A Writing Chance," and in 2022 was a featured writer at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. He now lives in London.
"Exuberantly memorable....So unusual and so moving - and ultimately, if my experience is anything to go by, so memorable. Cora's neurodivergence is vividly, uniquely present in the language Newlands gives to her.....Newlands casts a new light on the experience of living with ADHD." -- The Guardian
"Only Here, Only Now heralds the arrival of an urgent and unique new voice, as engaging and as startling as Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Morvern Callar or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and will surely be hailed as one of the great British debut novels." -- David Peace, author of Nineteen Eighty-Three
"Absolutely loved this. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure."
-- Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain
"This isn't just a great first novel; it's a great novel. And Cora, the mad, chaotic, wise, funny narrator, is one of the great characters."
-- Roddy Doyle, Book Prize-winning author of LOVE and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
"It's not every day you read a modern classic. But this feels destined to become one. A thunderous achievement." -- Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall and This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health
"An astonishing debut, full of grit, humor and truth. I defy you not to fall in love with Cora Mowat." -- Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Enchantment and Wintering
"Tom Newland's Only Here, Only Now is a piercing howl of a novel, sharp, elegant and humane. I loved it."
-- Karl Geary, author of Juno Loves Legs
"Newlands debuts with a stirring portrait of a 14-year-old neurodivergent Scottish girl dealing with grief and restlessness....Newlands does an excellent job portraying Cora's undiagnosed ADHD, shedding light on the ways in which the condition was overlooked in the '90s....The result is a vibrant coming-of-age story." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Cora's neurodivergence is both beautifully different and hilariously relatable; her arc is especially poignant as she learns how to juggle her love of home and family with her desire to escape her claustrophobic and limiting hometown. At the heart of Only Here, Only Now is a character who is a joy to listen to as she narrates her coming-of-age story in her own unique manner. Suggest this to readers of literary coming-of-age tales like Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch and character-rich fiction like Tess Gunty's The Rabbit Hutch.Teens looking for neurodivergence representation will find it in this darkly funny coming-of-age tale." -- Booklist
"A breathtaking debut from an exciting new storytelling talent. Wise, funny, tragic and hopeful. Cora and her world are heartrendingly authentic." -- Christopher Brookmyre, author of Quite Ugly One Morning
"Only Here, Only Now is one of the best debuts I've read in years. Cora Mowat is an iconic heroine, growing up against the odds; she's a feisty, impulse-drenched, lilt-blooded smasher of a main character and Tom Newland's prose is fierce and tender, taking us straight to the thudding heart of Cora's chaotic life. A wonderful, gut-wrenching, heart-soaring novel."
-- Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain
"A funny, truthful, heartbreaking yet hopeful read." -- Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
"Tom Newlands is the real thing. His story will change you." -- Award-winning actor Michael Sheen
