Will is the sort of character who is just too good to be true. He copes with classes of dysfunctional teenagers. Where his peers throw their hands up in horror, Will cajoles, understands, encourages and, of course, consequently gets the best out of them. So when trouble hits him it is to the street-wise that he turns for help. I loved this light-hearted romp, a morality tale with lots of soul.
Alvin is a good man. He works with dysfunctional teenagers, and where everyone else sees apprentice career criminals, he sees hope. No-one has ever taught him to accentuate the positive; his mind is simply built that way. He adores his family: Karen and the children are the centre of his world.
So when he finds that one of his few teenage success stories has wound up working in a massage parlour, he knows he has to help. He’ll pop in for a little chat – that’s all it will be. But try telling that to anyone else. Karen’s not convinced, and maybe she has her reasons to be suspicious. Alvin finds that one mistake, arising from the noblest of motives, will propel events out of control.
Now cast adrift, Alvin’s only allies are the teenagers everyone’s given up on. They’re great at supplying dodgy DVDs and ringtones – but can they help him get his life back?
'Beaumont's great gift is to make Alvin such a sensitive and believable character and the plot twists at the end of the book are marvellously ironic and compellingly drawn.' Francis Gilbert, author of 'I’m a Teacher, Get Me Out of Here!
Author
About Matt Beaumont
Matt Beaumont lives in London with his wife, the writer Maria Beaumont, and their children.
