Town, James Roy

My brother Kimlan works all night fixing the road. He wears a shirt that reflects the light from the cars. The boss man says that if he does not wear that shirt, no one will be able to see him unless he smiles. I do not think he is being unkind when he says this. Maybe he has never seen anyone with skin that is like my brother’s.

This kind of book has been written before – a series of connected short stories about young people and their lives. But I have never seen it done so well, as it is in Town.

Thirteen young people, thirteen stories. And I recognised every single one of those people, and every one of those experiences. Roy's familiarity with his subjects is uncanny – he knows his teenage protagonists so well. Each of the 13 voices is real and distinct, from Mark, who draws dragons, to Robbie Blair, who thinks he’s a motorbike, to Veronica Bennett, who gets called “Carbo” after a science teacher explained that Carbon goes with all the other elements.

Town is longlisted for the Golden Inky.