‘For Tales of the Suburbs read ‘tales of the human heart’, told by Justin David with insight and honesty, humour and compassion. As a Brummie, I relish the colour of this particular and rare Midlands voice, alongside his acute observation and the tang of his frank revelations, but these ‘suburbs’ are also universal: this open-heartened, delightful journey of self-discovery is known to, and should be relished by, all of us. Join Justin David on this joyride around Spaghetti Junction. And beyond!’
ANNETTE BADLAND
‘Poignant storytelling, in which pithy dialogue and sharp characterisation
make for compelling reading.’
PATRICIA ROUTLEDGE
‘For anyone who’s lived, loved and fought to become the person
they’re meant to be’
MATT CAIN
'There's not much rarer than a working class voice in fiction, except maybe a gay working class voice. We need writers
like Justin David.'
PAUL MCVEIGH, author of
The Good Son
'An entertaining, highly detailed story from the perspective of a queer outsider. Insightful and inspiring. You'll love this book!'
RHYANNON STYLES, author of
The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is
Part One of The Welston World Sagas
When your life is a soap opera, you're bound to meet a few divas
‘Rich, layered, filigree characters unveil a compelling portrait of queerness in working class England, a narrative both familiar and sacred. Reading this book was like coming home. Beautiful.’
JOELLE TAYLOR
As a boy growing up in the Black Country—drained grey by Mrs Thatcher’s steely policies—Jamie dreams of escape to a magical metropolis where he can rub shoulders with the mythical creatures who inhabit the pages of his Smash Hits. Though his hometown is not without characters and Jamie’s life not without dramas—courtesy of a cast of West Midlands divas led by his mother, Gloria. Her one-liners are as colourful as the mohair cardies she carries off with the panache of a television landlady.
We follow Jamie through secondary school, teenage troubles and away to art school; there he experiences the flush of first love with Billy, and the rush of the big city. But what then? Will he return to the safety of Welston, or risk everything on a new life in London?
These flamboyantly funny stories of self-discovery, set against the shifting social scenery of the 80s and 90s, are for everybody who’s ever decided to be the person they are meant to be.
*Theme track, Proceed Undeterred, by Andrew M Pisanu, available now
A flamboyantly funny mosaic novella of self-discovery,
and shifting social scenery.
‘This is a moving, compassionate book about growing up gay in a small Midlands town. An authentic, poignant account of working class life and manners and, ultimately, the overriding love the author feels for those who shaped his childhood. I didn’t want it to end.’
ANN MITCHELL
‘Justin David writes with enviable poise and economy. This is first class writing, conveying with calm authenticity what it means to be at the centre of the puzzle of our own lives.’
RÓNÁN HESSION
‘Tales of the Suburbs offers a vivid glimpse of the outsider
looking for his place in the world.’
DJ CONNELL
‘The writing is glorious. It jumps off the page. I devoured it. Young queer people will see themselves in these relatable stories, and queer elders, reflecting upon their own lives, will find healing in these pages.’
AMY ZING, co-founder of SINK THE PINK