Rowland Manthorpe: Confidence [2016] paperback

God may be dead, but getting through finals will take a miracle

Starter for Ten meets Essays in Love in a funny, thought-provoking philosophical novel about the power - and the dangers - of confidence

The nineteenth-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that whatever does not kill us makes us stronger. Nietzsche was obviously never forced to down an entire jar of stilton by a six-foot, fifteen-stone rugby player...

Ellie Taber's final year at university is hurtling to a close at alarming speed. Defeated by her philosophy dissertation and uncertain as to why she can't quite commit to her faultlessly supportive boyfriend, she is disenchanted with university life.

Charlie, on the other hand, is determined to use his final year to become the man he was always meant to be. He plans to play the field, do just enough work to secure his degree, finally develop his brilliant business idea and basically have an awesome time.

They are both in for a surprise.