His first memories are of sitting alone at the kitchen table reading terrorising tales in the tabloid newspapers and dreaming of going to London where the BBC is. But Terry Fish has a long way to go before that can happen. For a start, there are all those strange men . . . In the first half of the book we see Terry growing up lonely and surviving family abuse. In the second half we see him awaken as a man forced to grow beyond his years. Throughout, he struggles with adults unable to nurture him. The end result is a portrait of a society rife with hypocrisy and oppressive of individuality. Despite the sombre tone, the narration is never gloomy or depressing. Terry has a fantastic sense of humour and isn't short of cheek. You can't help but love him. It's a great read.