Mysterious Skin, by Scott Helm (Black Swan, £6.99 in UK)

A strange, sensitive and almost frighteningly accomplished first novel about gay teenagers in early 1980s middle America, Mysterious Skin turns the usual coming-of-age story around ever so slightly until its familiar components - baseball, rock music, UFOs, popcorn - are viewed from a striking, disorienting angle Clever manipulation of contrasting narrative styles and an extraordinarily physical awareness of colour makes Scott Helm's style memorable, and his second novel well worth waiting for.