First Time Solo

A distinctive debut novel by a mature new voice sheds light on a previously neglected aspect of war, its casualties and victims, and those forces unleashed by a conflict that changed the world forever It's 1943 and Jack Devine, a farmer's son from the rural North of Scotland, is finally called up to the RAF. Jack dreams of becoming a pilot, breaking hearts, and returning home a hero. The realities of training are very different, with boredom, bullying, and casual violence the norm. Drawn together by a love of jazz music, Jack makes friends with Terry, a worldly Welshman dabbling in the black market; Joe, a fellow Scot and aggressive anti-fascist; and the public school educated Clive. The group form a jazz band to surprising acclaim and for a while an alternative future to that preordained for each seems possible. But the initial camaraderie soon gives way to simmering resentment as age-old tensions resurface. When one of the four dies in a suspicious flying accident, another in the group is suspected of murder. Jack must not only navigate the demands of pilot training, an errant girlfriend, constant redeployments, and a bloody war that is getting ever nearer, but also the ever-present danger closer to home and the increasing realization that the dice are stacked against those like him wishing to escape the shackles of the old order. It's 1943 and Jack Devine, a farmer's son, is finally called up to the RAF. Jack dreams of becoming a pilot, breaking hearts, and returning home a hero. The realities of training are very different, with boredom, bullying, and casual violence the norm. Drawn together by a love of jazz music, Jack makes friends with Terry, a worldly Welshman dabbling in the black market; Joe, an active Communist, as well as Yorkshire poet Doug. Jack, Joe and Terry form a jazz band to surprising acclaim and for a while an alternative future to that preordained for each seems possible. But the initial camaraderie soon gives way to simmering resentment as age-old tensions resurface, ultimately resulting in tragedy. 'I was captivated by Jack's coming of age amid the personal and political dramas of the Second World War. Finely-crafted, hugely compassionate and often very funny, First Time Solo is an assured debut flight by an author to watch.' Zoe Strachan, author of Negative Space, Spin Cycle and Ever Fallen in Love. 'This is an assured debut in which Maloney uses a confident and authentic grasp of era and setting to create a compelling set of characters facing issues of friendship, loyalty, ambition and revenge. An engrossing read.' J David Simons, author of The Credit Draper, The Liberation of Celia Khan and An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful. Shortlisted for The Guardian Not The Booker prize 2014 Cover; Half-title Page; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; London. April 1943; Babbacombe, Devon. April July 1943; No. 29 EFTS Cliffe Pypard, Wiltshire. July August 1943; Inverayne, Aberdeenshire. August September 1943; Heaton Park, Manchester. September October 1943; RMS Queen Elizabeth, Atlantic Ocean. October 1943; Gratitude; Acknowledgements; Quotations.