How to Leave the House

Bursts upon the palate like drain fluid … a wild and funny ride through modern life * Financial Times *Reads like a classic 00’s ensemble movie. Valentine’s Day, Love Actually. But replace all the fluffy-duffy love with petty arguments, internet hookups and a lot of penis talk! * Pink News *A really terrific, inventive and compelling read - and also very funny – Ben EltonRaucous, smart and funny … intelligent prose, insightful commentary and compelling characters * Kirkus *Witty, sharply observed and truly original * Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies *Most books that claim to be funny aren’t actually all that funny. How to Leave the House is a rare exception - genuinely hilarious, utterly obnoxious, impressively daring * Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass *How to Leave the House is gobby, barbed, and garrulous; a novel that takes swings, with swagger – Eley Williams, author of The Liar’s Dictionary and Attrib. and other storiesNathan Newman’s How to Leave the House is a brilliant exploration of the many absurd and human ways that our lives intersect. Their sharp, honest prose skillfully reveals the vulnerability and desire coursing through the center of characters. This is the rare novel that is just as compassionate as it is funny, as engaging as it is smart.” – Isle McElroy, author of People CollideIt’s impossible not to be charmed by this big-hearted story … it’s so sweet and fun - an exciting debut from an author whose assuredness and polish could easily be mistaken for that of an old pro * Bustle *It’s a witty, sprawling story about life’s big changes and the things that never change, told with style and smarts by a remarkable new voice * Town and Country *It is a miracle to pull of the feat of being wickedly scabrous (incurring in this reader loud snorts of laugher throughout) and managing somehow to be generous and ultimately warm-hearted too; a miracle that Nathan Newman pulls off brilliantly. What a debut – Stephen FryNewman’s entertaining debut feels fresh and young, portraying modern life with a mixture of humour and reflection * Washington Post *Rich with pathos and humour … A bold new fiction voice * Daily Mail *Uproarious … Generous and witty, as bewitched by aesthetics as it is certain of the virtues of good old-fashioned compassion … filled with richly observed artistic references reminiscent of Ali Smith … Newman weaves the analytical and the absurd with a raucous grace. Profound - and profoundly sidesplitting * New York Times *This zippy novel takes place in the course of twenty-four hours on the day before the protagonist is meant to leave for university … sprinkled throughout are wide-ranging cultural references-from Charlie Chaplin to broken phone screens-that nod at humanity’s interconnectedness, and, ultimately, help the boy learn that his is only one among many rich lives * New Yorker *Extremely fun and surprisingly endearing * Jezebel *

Nathan Newman is a 26-year-old writer and filmmaker. Their short stories have won awards including the James Knudsen Prize for Fiction and they have been published in literary journals in the US and several university anthologies in the UK. As well as writing, Nathan works as an usher at a cinema. They live in London.