What I’m reading this week:
My absolute favourite book of all time, Kevin Brooks’ The Road of the Dead. I love everything about it. It deals with how casually racist people are towards Gypsies, how sexual abuse affects the people around the victim, the way different people mourn. It shows a beautiful relationship between two brothers. It has that spot-on mix of real life and magic that is exactly what I always want in a book, and is why Kevin Brooks is easily one of my favourite authors. I have so much to say about The Road of the Dead because it has had such a massive and lasting impact on my life.
I looked into his eyes. ‘That’s bollocks, Cole – and you know it.’
He stopped walking and stared back at me. ‘What?’
‘There’s no family feud,’ I told him. ‘There never was. The reason the Dochertys tipped off the cops was to pay back Dad for taking out Billy McGinley.’
Cole shook his head. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Yeah, you do,’ I told him. ‘Billy took a little girl from a site in Norfolk and kept her locked up in his trailer for two days. The girl was Jem Rooney’s daughter – Jem was Dad’s best friend.’ I looked at Cole. ‘You used to call him Uncle Jem – remember?’
Cole didn’t say anything.
