SARA LAWRENCE

SEDATING ELAINE by Dawn Winter (Fleet £14.99, 272 pp)

I LoveD this clever, funny and slightly mad debut about love, sex, grief and guilt. It’s a black comedy about Frances, a fabulous anti-heroine whose life is a mess.

heartbroken after a nasty split with her ex, Frances is not looking for a relationship when she meets elaine in a bar.

Drunk and stoned, Frances invites elaine back to hers but is horrified when elaine shows no signs of leaving. Frances owes money to threatening drug dealers so — the worst decision in a long line of them — asks elaine to move in with her to help with the rent. elaine, who is in love with Frances, is delighted to accept.

Sadly for Frances, it backfires because this apparent huge jump forwards in their relationship only increases elaine’s nonstop sexual desire for her girlfriend.

Unable to get any peace, Frances comes up with yet another insane plan — she will sedate elaine to get some quiet time. It’s a riotous rollercoaster of hilarity, tenderness and beautiful craziness that kept me hooked from the start.