Careful!

A gripping literary debut, Careful is the story of one mother's desperate attempt to reunite her family. As a child, Lenny had an accident that left him mentally challenged, prone to be exploited by the world around him. However, he will always be safe as long as his devoted mother, Alice, is able to protect him. But when Alice decides to use Lenny to kidnap his estranged brother Jack, a series of devastating events are set in motion. Told entirely in interior monologue, Careful is a stunning tapestry of language, violence and emotion, reminiscent of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Richard Madelin lives in Somerset, England. His stories have appeared in The Guardian, Radio Four BBC and Heinemann's Best.