Friction (35 page)

If I could see a panoramic landscape, then the sun would be setting on it. Certainly, if I could love, then my lover would be dead, rigid in my arms. If I could fight, then the battle would now be won, or lost in the extreme. And, if I believed in human endeavour, then I promise someone would be doing something exceptional and hopeful by now.

But instead.

Thanks to my family and my friends. Especially, Tony Weymouth, Nicholas Royle, Joe Cross, Kristian Scott, Lív Lamhauge, Laura Marsden, Edward Evans, Gareth Buckell and Jude McWilliams. Also, to John Saddler and Beth Coates.

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Epub ISBN: 9781407013923

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Published by Vintage 2008

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Copyright © Joe Stretch 2007

Joe Stretch has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental. Whilst every effort has been made to obtain permission from holders of copyright material reproduced herein, the publishers would like to apologise for any omissions and will be pleased to incorporate missing acknowledgements in any further editions.

First published in Great Britain in 2008 by
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9780099515968