Brian Conaghan's "Treacle Town" is a deeply moving and vividly rendered novel that captures the essence of small-town life with honesty and empathy. The story revolves around a young protagonist navigating the complexities of adolescence and family dynamics in a close-knit community. Conaghan’s writing is rich and evocative, bringing the town and its inhabitants to life with striking detail. The novel addresses themes of identity, belonging, and resilience with a blend of poignancy and humor. "Treacle Town" is a compelling and heartfelt read that resonates with authenticity, offering a profound exploration of the struggles and triumphs of growing up.

Brian Conaghan's 'Treacle Town' is a gritty and unflinching YA novel about the grinding effects of poverty and gang violence but also the (partially) redemptive power of friendship and slam poetry. At the start of the novel, teenage narrator Con O'Neill is mourning his friend Biscuit who has been killed by sectarian violence. He has also lost his mother to dispute and has a fairly dysfunctional relationship with his bodybuilding Dad. Some of Con's friends are keen to seek revenge for Biscuit's death but Con becomes increasingly wary and weary of the endless cycle of violence and instead finds himself drawn to the world of slam poetry.

I have read a huge amount of YA fiction but this is probably the hardest-hitting novel I have read for this age group (with the possible exception of Kevin Brooks's 'The Bunker Diary' or Conaghan's own 'The Weight of a Thousand Feathers.') As well as the aforementioned issues, Conaghan also includes some harrowing scenes of domestic violence as well as drug use and extremely frequent use of the very strongest language, which adds authenticity to Con's voice and the dialogue but is likely to shock some readers. Above all, this is a novel about the 'treacle town' of the title - Coatbridge, near Glasgow - somewhere that seems devoid of hope, opportunities and beauty but for which Con retains some affection. There are glimmers of light and humour in the novel - notably through Con's thawing relationship with his father and his discovery of poetry - but Conaghan avoids sentimentality and swerves away from the ending I had been anticipating to something more sobering.

There was a lot I admired about this novel but I can't honestly say that I enjoyed it or I'm not sure that many of the students I teach would either. But then I am not sure that I or they are really who this book is aimed at, and I can fully recognise the power of this book for those who might recognise something of themselves in Con's story or surroundings. And it gives all readers a glimpse of the challenges facing many young people today. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Powerful and raw yet with the occasional light Conaghan touch of humour this book shines an empathic light on the impossible lives of teenagers in 'Treacle Town'- the place that you can't escape from. A grim, sensitive portrayal of young lives laid to waste after years of social deprivation and underfunding.