by David Nicholls

With three teenage sons of my own, this hilarious, angst-and-acne-ridden coming-of-age tale frankly filled me with dread. So much beer and so little washing! But that didn’t stop me reading it, and enjoyably cringing all the way to the sorry end, and in turn wanting to scold and hug the central protagonist: poor deluded, 19 year old first year English student Brian Jackson. If you have read and enjoyed David Nicholls’ current novel “One Day”, then I’d thoroughly recommend this, his debut work. I suspect it to be more than a tad autobiographical and, if so, it shows that great things can indeed be achieved from dodgy beginnings!

©Julia Welstead 2011