THIS month's publication of The Joy Of Ex marks the end of a three-year quest by former Bridgwater Mercury reporter Edward Keating, who has overcome early rejection by literary agents to see his work in print.

His debut novel, released in March by Oktober Books, was written off as "chick lit" when first submitted, but determined Edward persevered and has now seen his dream fulfilled.

The Joy Of Ex explores the nature of attraction by following a drunken bet between friends. Do the sparks of attraction which draw couples together burn indefinitely? That is what Blake Truman has to find out when challenged to re-seduce six of his ex-girlfriends.

At times, Edward's debut is both comical and insightful, and littered with clever pop culture references.

However, where The Joy Of Ex really succeeds, is in the creation of an absorbing (if intensely dislikeable) central character.

Blake Truman is dishonest, vain, shallow and selfish, displaying an almost Patrick Bateman-esque obsession with the minutiae of his life, while offering not the tiniest hint of empathy for the people he uses and abuses.

Casual sex, Playstation games and getting oozled on Stella are constants in his life, while people come and go.

Indeed, while the book itself is thoughtful, any hint of introspection evades Blake, and when opportunities open up for him to make amends for past indiscretions he rejects them, even to the point of sidestepping potential redemption.

Blake is not a nice man, but what he is, is an intriguing antihero in a tale which draws the reader in to its mixed genre and hurls their sympathies and expectations back and forth between characters and anticipated outcomes.

The Joy Of Ex is an accomplished first novel, and can be purchased - priced £7 - from www.oktoberbooks.co.uk.