Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.

Read by Krisopher Milnes

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Audio Books

Price: £18.99 Audio CD

I’m going to show my age here, but I admit that I relished this audio book more for it’s allusions to the early eighties. Mitchell captures the feel of the decade with school reminiscences like reading Z for Zachariah by Robert O'Brien aloud in English; the impact of the Falklands war on Great Britain, and Rhubarb and Custard sweets. (although Toffeee Crumble was my favourite!)

The voice of pubescent misfit, Jason Taylor is refreshing. His stammer, which he blames on ‘Hangman’, coupled with a teen would-be-poets sometimes extraordinarily lyrical observations (especially when it comes to alliterative cursing) make him likeable, and are all brought to three dimensional light by Kristopher Milne’s superb reading.

That said, in the early stages of the novel the poetry does jar - which at first i blamed on the age of the character, but once i understood the our narrators verve for words, and the necessity of being a walking thesaurus because of his speech impediment – I didn’t let it spoil my aural pleasure.

At the heart of this novel, and intricately described in colourful observation, is a masterly evocation of youth that is not only profoundly moving but also, laugh-out-loud funny. Jason Taylor yearns to be one of the ‘Hard’ boys in his class, being badgered by his braver ‘unborn twin’ and undertaking a harrowing trial to be a ‘Spook’. He is a profoundly good natured boy though, which ultimately is what helps him win over the bullies.

The sub plots, like the fathers marriage breakdown, Jason’s bulling at school by Gary Drake and Ross Wilcox, and his sister growing up and leaving for university impacts on the loneliness of Jason’s character. Although, I found some characters unfinished – like the knife grinder and his Gypsy family, and especially the very weird and disturbing boy, Squelch.

I wasn’t surprised when Black Swan Green made the Booker 2006 longlist, and although it didn't win, it did give Kiran Desai's 'The Inheritance of Loss' a good run.