Grow Up!

Grow Up! is a 23-year-old man's diarised account of his travails upon returning home from a longish trip overseas ...  The central character - Thom - is heart-broken after leaving the woman of his dreams in London (or so he thought she was), admitting he left her because he was afraid; afraid to commit to a long-term relationship because he felt the need to come home and "e;grow up"e;. And, upon returning home (to a place called Morson Cove), he decides to write a journal over the course of several heady months, penning some of the events and encounters he experiences; his dealings with dysfunctional, crude and crass characters, plus his own thoughts and feelings as he struggles to find some sense of direction amongst it all, and "e;grow up"e;.  However, he's not entirely sure what that involves, exactly; does it mean getting a "e;real job,"e; having a "e;real relationship"e;? And what are they? But upon returning home, Thom realises that the very things he desired all along were right under his nose - at home. Over time he establishes a meaningful relationship with a lovely woman, and ultimately finds a suitable job, and with it, a sense of direction, as well as "e;grows up"e; - in a way that makes sense to him. Grow Up! is also set in a time (2005) when technology wasn't anywhere near as prevalent as it is today, so in that sense is set in a less complicated time & place ...