'We left a tip and the waitress shot us what I suppose was intended to be a look of gratitude. She really only managed a weak glare. I guess that's the countryside for you. People are a little edgy'. A young inquisitive girl hitches a lift with an older charismatic Bohemian man. Neither has a final destination in mind, and so they find themselves drifting aimlessly through middle America; driving, smoking, sharing confidences, looking out for each other, and stopping as and when the mood takes them. Their relationship is pure, simple - and when they do finally have sex, it's she who makes the first move. But this is a strange, stolen time that must come to an end: the girl will grow up; the man's past will catch up with him; and the world outside will not accept their relationship. With shades of Lolita and Morvern Callar, ''The Ice Age'' is a remarkable first novel, with an exceptional voice that's both seductive and compelling, and which readers will quite simply fall in love with.