Loose Ends — Allie Cresswell

Jade has had a terrible day. If having her little nephew swept away by a river in spate isn't bad enough, she finds herself caught up in a violent riot. Weeks of energy-sapping drought have culminated in a vicious storm and damaging flash-floods. Homes are deluged and the populace is at breaking-point. But it is the indecisive outcome of the FA cup final, a local derby provoking fiercely partisan opposition, which proves the final catalyst and the town has become a mindless frenzy of looting, violence and criminality. Caught between rapacious fans, opportunistic looters and the implacable ranks of riot-police, Jade takes refuge in a semi-derelict church where the kindness of strangers opens her up to the possibility that she might be able to weave something new from the frayed ends of her life. Meanwhile, Jennifer's mother is dying, her psychotic brother is beyond redemption and her husband is AWOL. While Jade explores the wonder of new beginnings, Jennifer is tasked with bringing things to an end. The tidiness of closure seems so desirable until it comes, and she finds herself glad to cling to the tendrils of loose ends, surprisingly anchored by the threads of her past.