2. Long Days

Charlie recalls the challenge of filling long summer days at 16, despite his part time petrol station job.

David Nicholls' pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.

Read by James Norton.

When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.

Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.

Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.