Great British Fiction which starts with a bang.Set in Bristol, Amongst Friends covers a period of over twenty years, from 2003 all the way back to 1981. The tone is set from the start, with a breathtaking act of revenge, and the story winds its way back through the key events which have led the characters to the end of an enduring friendship.About the storyA group of three friends meet for the first time at primary school, aged four. Despite their differing backgrounds, they quickly form a strong bond, which sees them through secondary school and into the wide world beyond.There is Lee, who lives with his businessman bully of a dad in one of Bristol’s most prestigious areas. Then there is Anna, whose successful, career-driven parents and much older half-brothers barely seem to notice her.Finally, there is Mike; an only child who has never known his father and whose mother Emma tries to more than make up for what is missing for her son and his friends.Life becomes complicated when love gets in the way.Amongst Friends turns traditional story-telling on its head, beginning with the dramatic end to the friends' story and tracing step-by-step through the twists and turns of fate and fortune.About the authorAuthor Katharine E. Smith grew up in Bristol and is a former pupil of St Bede's Catholic College. Writing this story has provided a nostalgic, hugely enjoyable experience.Smith's readers have praised her honesty, realism, warmth and humour. Both Looking Past and Writing the Town Read - Katharine's first two novels - are written from a strong female first-person perspective. Amongst Friends takes her writing in a different direction, as the full range of characters’ viewpoints are represented throughout the story.