Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

Black Swan Green

David Mitchell

Written to the backdrop of the Falklands War, Black Swan Green accompanies the experiences of thirteen year old Jason Taylor in his backwater Worcestershire village. It is a deceptively easy and also moving book, giving hope to those who read it.

Extract
Screaming like kamikazes, we charged, I slipped over (accidentally on purpose) just before the front wave of Runners smashed into the Bulldogs. This'd tie up most of the hardest Bulldogs in fights with our front Runners .... But then Ross Wilcox came homing in on me. I tried to wriggle past but Wilcox got a firm grip on my wrist and tried to pull me down. But instead of trying to struggle free I got a firmer grip on his wrist and flung him off me straight into Ant Little and Darren Croome. Ace in the face or what? Games and sports aren't about taking part or even about winning. Games and sports're really about humiliating your enemies.
Parallels
  • Spies by Michael Frayn
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon