A remarkably assured debut, deftly plotted and with vivid, compelling characters that leap off the page' JOJO MOYES 'One of the best books I have read in... forever' SCARLETT CURTIS'Entirely gripping ... Combines the best elements of a crime thriller, a campus novel, a love story and a psychological study' ALAIN DE BOTTON'The Truants teases, seduces and thrills but ultimately it's about the best kind of love affair - allowing for the freedom to be yourself' MIRANDA HARTPeople disappear when they most want to be seen.Jess Walker, middle child of a middle class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus under flat, grey, East Anglian skies, her world flares with colour.Drawn into a tightly-knit group of rule breakers - led by their maverick teacher, Lorna Clay - Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken as they share secrets, lovers and finally a tragedy. Soon Jess is thrown up against the question she fears most: what is the true cost of an extraordinary life?