Mesmeric and tender, this is the tale of one man’s search for love and affection.

A man returns to his hometown to clear out the flat of his recently deceased mother. While there, he cannot resist visiting his former lover. As the storm rages in the night outside, he finds in the man’s embrace some kind of quiet; some kind of home.

As we are drawn into the narrator’s past, we see how a childhood marked by abuse and a life lived on the edges can shape someone – and what respite and beauty can be found in love and trust. Unsentimental yet aching with longing and vulnerability, Angelo Tijssens’ The Edges is a deeply humane, moving and beautiful debut.

‘A book that feels like heartache – at once tender & violent, intimate & lyrical, The Edges conjures itself in flowing temporal rhythms, immersing the reader in the night-lit, wintery ache of love.’ Seán Hewitt

‘A modern masterpiece. . . Bursts with sensuality & deep emotion . . . The feelings are timeless, & portrayed in evocative, pared-back style. ’ Telegraph

‘The Edges had me gripped from the very start. Tijssens has created a beguiling world filled with reckoning and melancholic sensuality. A masterfully crafted novella that leaves you wanting more.’ Tomasz Jędrowski

‘This piercing shard of a novel nods to Shuggie Bain. . . [but is] harder, darker and far less pretty. . . quietly unforgettable.’ Daily Mail

‘A hovering wounded story of unending love and fear and pain that saturates the reader in silence and memory . . . Unmissable.’ David Hayden

‘A deeply affecting meditation on the deprivation of love. Like a meeting of Édouard Louis and Garth Greenwell.’ Michael Amherst

 ‘A powerful gem, written with great precision, lurching between love and violence.’ De Standaard

‘Succinct and understated writing, deeply human and full of suppressed anguish.’ Feeling

‘A hit. I’m hugely impressed by this strong debut.’ Het Nieuwsblad