Some fairly hard hitting stuff in this tale of Veerapen and his friends stuck in the boredom of their suburban lives. Niven Govinden really projects the voices of the disaffected, ‘bored with life’ teenager. The story starts at the end and then is told in flashback to build the tension to the conclusion we know is going to come. Edgy and moving with clever twists to keep you gripped.
This is Surrey, where nothing bad ever happens. Except somehow, 15-year-old Veerapen, half-Tamil, half-Jew and the fastest runner in the school, has just helped bury Moon Suzuki, the girl he loved. His dad has run off with an optician and his mum's going off the rails. Since when did growing up in the suburbs get this complicated?
As the knots of Moon and Veerapen's tragic romance unravel, Niven Govinden brings to life a misfit hero of the school yard, bristling with tenderness, venom and vigour.
Niven Govinden is an ex-Surrey-ite with no discernable track or field ability. He is the author of one previous novel, We Are The New Romantics, and is currently hard at work on his third book.
