“The first time I saw you, you were standing at the far end of the playing field. You were looking down at your brown straggly dog, but then you looked up, your mouth going slack as your eyes clocked her. Alice Taylor. I was no different. I used to catch myself gazing at the back of her head in class, at her silky fair hair swaying between her shoulder blades. If you'd glanced just once across the field you'd have seen me standing in the middle on my own, looking straight at you, and you'd have gone back through the trees to the path quick, tugging your dog after you. You'd have known you'd given yourself away, even if only to me. But you didn’t. You only had eyes for Alice.”

Tasha Kavanagh worked in film editing for ten years, on features including Twelve Monkeys, Seven Years in Tibet and The Talented Mr Ripley. She has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA. She has published several children’s books under her maiden name, Tasha Pym. She lives in Hertfordshire with her family. Things We Have in Common was shortlisted for the 2015 Guardian Not the Booker Prize.

Judges: “An insightful, compellingly-plotted novel about teenage obsession and isolation. An exceptionally assured debut with a captivating voice.”

Press Release

Utterly fresh and chillingly dark, Things We Have In Common is reminiscent of both Emma

Donoghue's Room and Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. With a fantastic sense of place, perfectly constructed

characters and a voice which confidently captures the essence of teenage obsession, Tasha Kavanagh is a

writer to watch out for.

Tasha Kavanagh worked in film editing for ten years, on features including Twelve Monkeys, Seven

Years in Tibet and The Talented Mr Ripley. She has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA. She has

published several children's books under her maiden name, Tasha Pym. She lives in Hertfordshire with

her family. Things We Have in Common is her first novel.

COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2015 SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED

**BUSHEY BASED DEBUT NOVELIST TASHA KAVANAGH SHORTLISTED FOR 2015 COSTA BOOK AWARDS**

Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh (Canongate)Fiction: Hardback £12.99 | Ebook £11.99