Close to Home: The funny and hugely original debut novel from Channel 4 F1 presenter Steve Jones

Read in one sitting.

I loved this book, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to read it for the rest of Seans life. Its so well written and I can't wait to hear what the author has next for us

An honest and moving portrayal of a young man's working-class life in Northern Ireland. There is a real tenderness to the main character who struggles to escape his life of economic limitation and to find a sense of fulfilment. I thought I would not like this book because it opens with a scene of young hooligans getting drunk and taking drugs, but very soon, one gets to see the kinds of social conditions that fuel this behaviour, together with the peer group pressures that keep pulling back those who want to move towards something more hopeful. A very beautiful book of raw honesty.

A friend of mine recommended this book without realizing just what a trip he would send me on. I grew up on the Black Mountain, know all of the places Michael talks about, intimately and was one of those wee girls from St. Louise's.This book is wonderfully written, honest and authentic, I laughed and I cried while reading it.This could not have been an easy book to write to convey the story without opening yourself up to the criticism of not knowing what you were talking about. It is clear that you do - from someone who knows.Thanks for the journey Michael.

Very good bookGreat description of life in Belfast for the youthGreat to see the different ways people can interpret a situationCan’t wait to read his next book