The Last Virgin

An uncompromising title and a stark picture of a condom wrapper forewarn readers of the controversial content of Belbin's latest book. Never one to fight shy of difficult subjects - most memorably the pupil-teacher relationship in Love Lessons - in The Last Virgin he seems to have extended his range to embrace a wide range of contentious issues. Six female friends in their penultimate year at school, determined not to be the last to lose their virginity, embark on a mission to find the right person to sleep with. Their exloits are rooted in the expectation tht fellow students have sex much earlier, as young as 13. Such frankness is both refreshing and alarming - this undoubtedly entertaining book says much which young people ought to read but may unnerve the adults in their lives - perhaps furnishing yet another reason for buying it! On occasion, the multiplicity of focus diminishes the credibility of the narrative - arranged marriages, lesbian relationships, sperm donors and disabled people all occupy centre stage, forcing the characters into subsidiary roles at the mercy of the storyline rather than driving it along. There are some improbable scenarios - the immediate and isolated seduction of a 13-year-old boy by a girl two years his senior at a church disco, the utter change of heart of the novel's principal Lothario, the self-consciously neat happy ending. These aside, Belbin's sure handling of dialogue and bold choice of subject matter will ensure that The Last Virgin enjoys popularity - and notoriety - amongst its readers - clearly a winning combination.