Kit Whitfield: 'Bareback'

Imagine a world where the majority of the population have the ability to turn into a werewolf once a month and that you are considered less of a human for not having this power. This is the world Lola Gaffey lives in. ‘Lycos’ simply have to make sure they lock themselves in a secure room for one night a month, but being a ‘bareback’ means that at the age of eighteen you are drafted to the Department for the Ongoing Regulation of Lycanthropic Activity – in other words patrolling the streets for any transformed citizens who are breaking their curfew. Lola has been assigned the case of Richard Ellaway who under ‘the change’ mauled a good friend of hers. However, just before the case her friend is murdered and Lola wants justice.

‘Bareback’ is an original spin on the werewolf tales we are so accustomed to hearing, encompassing political undertones of discrimination people face every day in the real world. Whitfield’s use of language is gripping and exciting, making you greedy for more of the story and eager to tear through the pages. A tasty fast paced thriller with real imagination, this book can only leave you wanting more of what Kit Whitfield has to offer.

Published 3rd August 2006 by Jonathan Cape.

Written by Fran Swaine.