Underdogs by Louise Powell

Underdogs

Louise Powell

Widower Reg needs work to bring up his ten year old son George but there's not much of that in what was the Durham coalfield in the 1990's. His only chance is to look after a greyhound and enter the murky world of betting at a "flapping track." Simultaneously gritty and heart-warming, this is an affectionate portrait of a lost community, told in the local dialect.

Extract

And his smile only grew when he read the first of me dad's references: this typewritten page from five year back that was packed with praise...."Reginald is an impeccable timekeeper who respects authority," he beamed as he read it out; but his face fell when he seen the second letter. Shoulda been headed with me dad's auld school crest ; but instead there was the logo of the bank. Red to match the ink that run across the page as me dad rasped, "Help me!"

Parallels
  • A kestrel for a knave by Barry Hines
  • The Hungry Hills by Janet MacLeod Trotter
  • The Day of the Sardine by Sid Chaplin