I picked this book up because it is on the Long-list for the 2016 CILIP Carnegie Awards. With its focus on teenagers living surrounded by gang-related crime, I felt it had traces of ‘Pigeon English’ by Stephen Kelman.
Lamar – Liccle Bit – lives with his mother, grandmother, sister and nephew in South Crongton. He dreams of escaping his limited world, but isn’t entirely sure how he can achieve this. His dreams look even less likely to come to fruition when the local gang-leader – who also happens to be the father to his nephew – starts to take a special interest in him. Without really being aware of it, Lemar is soon in over his head.
While the backdrop to this novel is bleak, the book was full of humour and I loved the depiction of Lemar and his friends. My only gripe was the ending. While it makes sense to maintain the focus on Lemar and his family, I really would have liked to know a little more about how certain events were resolved.