WHO THEY WAS: LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE

This is a story of a London you won’t find in any guidebooks. This is a story about what it’s like to exist at the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities – and the girls trying to make it their way. This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance – and never counting the cost. This is a story of concrete towers and blank-eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal. This is about the boredom, the rush, the despair, the fear, and the hope. This is about what’s left behind.