Changes

It might well be easy to get in too deep, but it's very difficult to get back out again. It's even more difficult if your life isn't going as well as you'd wish in other areas, and it's here the book really comes into its own. With the uncompromising honesty , Jim Carrington gave us in his first book, the super-duper ''Inside My Head'', we see that it's Ash who is the prime mover in making a bad situation worse. And it's Ash whose father is a drunk who's having an affair. It's Ash whose family argue constantly over money. It's Ash who doesn't have anything solid enough to fall back on when things go wrong. Joe has always felt colourless and vanilla next to Ash, but actually he's the lucky one, with his steady parents and supportive home life.

The characters are beautifully drawn and utterly credible. I recognise these boys and so will every reader. The writing is gritty and tense and Carrington doesn't talk around issues such as teen drinking or drug -taking. He doesn't glamourise them either. This is another compelling novel from a talented author. Recommended.

[[Dead Boy Talking by Linda Strachan]] also shows how just a few bad choices can have terrible consequences, as does [[The Dirty South by Alex Wheatle]]. You might also enjoy [[Drive By by Jim Carrington]].