Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Growing up, Sayon found respite from the chaos of his environment in the love and loyalty of his brother-in-arms, Cuba; in the example of his cousin Hakim, a man once known as the most infamous drug-dealer in their neighbourhood, now a proselytising Muslim; and in the tenderness of his girl, Shona, whose own sense of purpose galvanises Sayon’s. This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. The first party narrator is Sayon – part of the notorious Hughes family “known to police and hospital staff across the city. Why do you think the author decided to do this, and how does it affect the reading experience for you?

AN OLIVE GROVE IN ENDS | Kirkus Reviews AN OLIVE GROVE IN ENDS | Kirkus Reviews

Language is also celebrated, with lots of Jamaican Patois and Arabic peppering conversational exchanges. Great debut novel by Moses McKenzie, recommended by the Observer as one of the top 10 debut novels of 2022.

Usually, the women in the Hughes family kept their surname if they ever married – which they did, several times – but my mama, Erica, had been all too quick to rid herself of such a burden.

An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie | Headline An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie | Headline

The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter. Sayon wrestles with his feelings for his girlfriend Shona, with her preacher father and his insistence on the Christian god, his cousin’s insistence on Allah, and with his best friend and cousin Cuba who he cannot imagine abandoning. Rather than being a character or plot driven book, I feel like this was a writing driven book for me (if that makes sense? I wasn't sure of the reason, whether it was because it was where the downtrodden saw the light at the end of the tunnel, or because once you arrived you only left when those in charge wanted to rebrand.

Kherba has created acohesive story around her collection, releasing afilm and abook to go alongside it, both entitled It’s Peak. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Age had stained the picture pink, forcing rose-tinted spectacles on any who caught the young boy’s eye.

An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie review – an

The Bath stone house in the area known as Clifton was all original features; sash windows and working shutters. Far removed from the torn slips outside the bookie's, the burnt spoons and the crooked solutions his community embraces; most of all, removed from the Christianity of his uncaring parents and the prejudice of law-makers.But he’s not on the run, because those who witness his stabbing of Cornell, a rival drug dealer, are either destined for an early death themselves or obey the local code of silence, an omertà that pervades Ends.

An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie review - The Guardian

The copyright to all contents of this site is held either by Granta or by the individual authors, and none of the material may be used elsewhere without written permission. This might actually be unfair to the novel but it is also true that by the midway point, for whatever reason, I had just lost interest in the story.We left our pushbikes by the fountain and helped each other over the fence and into the back garden. The book has little to nothing to do with race, other than the fact that all characters are Black, in a majority white country. And the theme of religion and in particular sin/damnation/repentance/redemption is vital to the book, to Sayon’s dilemma and his journey and to the reaction of his mother, Nanny and prospective father-in-law to him and his decisions. Though there are some sluggish digressions in the form of flashbacks, and the occasional sentence that falls flat (“I spent the second half of Year 7 in a wonderful haze”), the depiction of 00s childhoods will resonate with anyone who can remember fashion brands such as Avirex, filesharing program LimeWire and US sitcom Moesha. He’s presented as bright, with a dream for a better life, but to me he’s pretty much just a thug until the day he moves into the big leagues by becoming a murderer.