Tawni O'Dell

'O'Dell has tackled the real stuff of stories and she's done it with compassion and a unique voice...a writer of promise'

'Heart-breakingly honest...Beautifully written...A journey into the world of dysfunctional despair...A remarkable tale'

'Tense, conflicted and involving, O'Dell deftly captures the voice of a teenage boy who's in trouble and facing profound challenges'

'An intense story of family, frailty and dysfunction...Captivatingly told'

One day Harley Altmyer was 18 and thinking about making some kind of life. He had a family he loved and he figured it was time to get a job. Before he has the chance, his life is a minefield: his father is dead, his mother in prison for the murder, three younger sisters to care for, and there's not too much time left over for himself. Suddenly he has two crummy jobs, a fantasy sex life, big worries about the kids and a court-appointed therapist.<br/>
<br/>
A intense physical relationship with a woman living down the road seems to offer a way out, the answer to his problems. But little can he realise that those problems are only just beginning...

Back Roads

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Kate-Atkinson

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

prhuk-authors

Tawni O’Dell

Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

Tawni O'Dell

Praise for Back Roads

'A page-turner...gritty, funny, sexy'

'O'Dell has tackled the real stuff of stories and she's done it with compassion and a unique voice...a writer of promise'

'Heart-breakingly honest...Beautifully written...A journey into the world of dysfunctional despair...A remarkable tale'

'A page-turner...gritty, funny, sexy'

'O'Dell has tackled the real stuff of stories and she's done it with compassion and a unique voice...a writer of promise'

'Heart-breakingly honest...Beautifully written...A journey into the world of dysfunctional despair...A remarkable tale'

'A page-turner...gritty, funny, sexy'

'O'Dell has tackled the real stuff of stories and she's done it with compassion and a unique voice...a writer of promise'

'Heart-breakingly honest...Beautifully written...A journey into the world of dysfunctional despair...A remarkable tale'

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter