Alive and Kicking

Richie, a university student, is recovering in hospital from a life threatening condition. He looks back on his past life and decides to take himself and the reader on a journey of discovery: from the innocence of childhood, through the growing awareness and angst of adolescence, until he reaches the present. Do you remember kiss chase and marbles, glam rock and grammar schools, transistor radios and Bullworkers? And what about your first sexual awakening, your first kiss, the first time you shaved and your first leather jacket? Did you win your first fight and did you smash up your first bike? Where was your first trip abroad? As he recalls the events of his past he is constantly interrupted by the present day goings on in his ward, not to mention the visits of his family and friends who, of course, keep cropping up in his past. In the second half of this intriguing novel we exit the hospital with Richie, and the narrative unfolds before our eyes. We watch the new Richie take shape and see how his close death encounter has affected his outlook on life. The teenager is long gone, having been replaced by a man who is as vulnerable, sensitive and flawed as the rest of us... This book is the prequel to the entertaining Losing the Way and reminds us what it was like growing up in the late sixties, seventies and eighties, while delving into the complexities of the young adult mind. The author's interesting use of language, the original way in which he sees the world and his particular brand of humour make this a book which is hard to put down.