Society Within

(Paperback)

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Description

SOCIETY WITHIN takes us back to the Greenside Estate, West London, scene of Courttia Newland's ground-breaking and hugely successful first novel, THE SCHOLAR. Newly arrived on the estate is Elisha: sweet, bright, sassy and just eighteen. As Elisha negotiates some new territory with more than fair share of dark corners, we take in the vividly interlocking lives of the other Greensiders: cool, ambitious Valerie, with some bad secrets to deal with; Little Stacey, looking for his first girl; Orin, dealing, stealing and trying to stay away from anything too lethal.

Courttia Newland tells gripping stories from real lives - stories of dreamers and fighters, love and revenge, friendship and betrayal - in a language burning with energy, originality and conviction.

Reviews

'Masterful ... Warm & witty ... an impressive achievement' GUARDIAN 'Consolidates his position as one of Britain's most important young black novelists ... a truly gifted storyteller' TIME OUT 'Fairly crackles with depictions of teenage temptations ... after the whitewash better known as NOTTING HILL, the antidote couldn't be better timed' i-D MAGAZINE 'Should have Irvine Welsh weeping into his overhyped beer' GLASGOW HERALD 'London, painfully real and surreal, anatomised and exposed.' MORNING STAR 'Newland guides us through a gritty struggle of urban deprivation...with unblinking panache... An impresively mature, post- TRAINSPOTTING book...Just read it.' OBSERVER 'Masterful ... Warm & witty ... an impressive achievement' TIME OUT 'Vividly rendered...Strong characterisation and richly authentic dialogue' TIME OUT

Author Bio

Courttia Newland is the twenty-five-year-old author of THE SCHOLAR. He has also contributed to various anthologies including DISCO 2000, NEW WRITERS 8, AFROBEAT and TEENAGE KICKS. Film rights to THE SCHOLAR have been optioned and he is working on the screenplay.