Kiss

One of Wilson's novels for older readers, Kiss considers the problems surrounding the difficulties encountered when childhood friendship develops into adolescent love.

Sylvie and Carl have grown up together and still share a childhood fantasy existence in Carl's garden shed.

Throughout their friendship, Sylvie's unthinking expectation has been that they will marry. However their moves to separate schools, and Carl's growing friendship with Paul, and Sylvie's with the extrovert Miranda, cause a rift.

Carl is driven to the edge by the homophobic bullying he encounters at school, and Sylvie is forced to re-evaluate the places of friendship and love in her life.

Wilson skilfully combines an approachable and involving teenage story with a debate about true friendship, sexual identity and growing up.