Going Out by Scarlett Thomas

Can I really rave about this book? Will you let me? Because it is the only thing I can do under these circumstances. This book is really brilliant. It felt so original and fresh, especially when you remember that this book came out a good few years ago (2002) and it hasn't lost it's allure. I bought it from my trusty Waterstones so it had that new book smell and I read it while bombing around England on a high-speed train (which became rather terrifying).

Set in Essex in 2000/2001 Luke and Julie are next door neighbours and best friends (oh stop you, they are not secretly in love with each other), but they have never been outside together. They don't go to the pub or go for walks, eat ice cream in the sun, run inside from the rain; because Luke has never been outside (or at least not for a very long time). He is allergic to the sun and a whole lot of other things no one is very sure about. He has never felt the sun on his face and he lives his entire life through television and books. If you were telling him about how your friend had to go to hospital, Luke could only picture a hospital from a TV show or he would have to look it up on the internet.

Julie is a normal girl, well as normal as someone who loves maths and is afraid of death to the point where she is afraid to take fast trains, drive on motorways or A-roads and is so afraid of storms she has to sit in a closet until it passes. Julie also feels lost, like her life is stalled, but she doesn't want to go anywhere else. She just can't imagine ever leaving Luke and taking chances isn't really her thing.

The catalyst to the whole story, or modern day 20-somethings Wizard of Oz adventure (off to see the wizard....) is Charlotte who has told this Chinese healer all about Luke and now Wei says he could cure him...Yep, on they go to Wales of course - but will this bunch of misfits find what they are looking for? Well, you're just going to have to read the book to find out.

If you are looking for a quirky summer read, this is perfect. With it's brand new cover and the incredible reviews, I couldn't recommend it any higher. But of course you be the judge. Buy it from a bookshop (maybe even an independent?!) or visit your local library - let's try and keep Amazon out of this one for now...