*A ''BOOKS OF 2021'' PICK IN THE GUARDIAN , DAILY MAIL , DAILY TELEGRAPH , IRISH TIMES CULTURE AND NEW STATESMAN * ''We read in order to come to life.'' With fierce imagination, a woman revisits the moments that shape her life - from crushes on teachers to navigating relationships in a fast-paced world - from overhearing her grandmothers'' peculiar stories to nurturing her own personal freedom and a boundless love of literature. Fusing fantasy with lived experience, Checkout 19 is a vivid and mesmerising journey through the small traumas and triumphs that define us - as readers, as writers, as human beings.