''Apples'' is the bestselling

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

Richard Milward Richard Milward (born 26 October 1984 in Middlesbrough) is an English novelist. His debut novel ''Apples'' was published by Faber in 2007. He has also written ''Ten Storey Love Song'' and most recently ''Kimberly's Capital Punishment''. Raise ...

, published in 2007. The novel was adapted into a play, by John Rettallack.

Plot summary

The book is set in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

and follows the stories of teenagers Adam and Eve as they cope with the difficulties of growing up and the complications of friendship. Eve's mother has recently been diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and as a distraction Eve becomes embroiled in

sexual activity Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) ...

and drug taking, whilst Adam tries to cope with

sexual frustration Sexual frustration is a sense of dissatisfaction stemming from a discrepancy between a person's desired and achieved sexual activity. It may result from physical, mental, emotional, social, and religious or spiritual barriers. It may also deri ...

, a violent father and increasingly

compulsive behaviour Compulsive behavior is defined as performing an action persistently and repetitively. Compulsive behaviors could be an attempt to make obsessions go away. The act is usually a small, restricted and repetitive behavior, yet not disturbing in a pa ...

Structure

The novel is narrated in the first person by several characters and at one point even by a butterfly, although the majority of the stories are narrated by the novel's central protagonists, Adam and Eve.

Critical reception

''Apples'' has received positive reviews from critics upon its release with the ''

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

'' review of the book stating that "Milward’s excellent debut finds poetry in his characters’ lives without romanticising their situation.".

References

2007 British novels 2007 debut novels Faber and Faber books Middlesbrough Novels set in Yorkshire {{2000s-ya-novel-stub