The True Story of Butterfish

When Annaliese Winter walks down Curtis Holland's front path, he's ill-prepared for a 16-year-old schoolgirl who's a confounding mixture of adult and child. After years travelling the world with his band, Butterfish, he's not used to having a neighbour at all. So when Curtis receives an invitation to dinner from Annaliese's mother, Kate, he is surprised when he not only accepts but finds himself being drawn to this remarkably unremarkable family.

He's drawn even to 15-year-old Mark, who is at war with his own surging adolescence. Curtis soon realises that with Kate divorced, Annaliese and Mark need a male role model in their lives, but it's hard for him to help when he's just starting to grow up himself - and harder still when Annaliese begins to show an interest in him that is less than filial. Filled with acute observation, humour, and tenderness, Butterfish is Nick Earls at his very best.