This is an odd book. The odd nature of the book is mostly down to the first person narrator’s voice and character which is idiosyncratic and takes a little while to get used to. The narrator’s voice is full of slang, full of long meandering tangents and words that are replacing real words because he’s a child. He’s part of a group of misfits that regard themselves as family, all aware of their status as outcasts and all mixed up in a plan hatched by the eldest of the group Robbie, to reap revenge on a town that have treated them all badly.

Mixed in with the stream of consciousness style narration and random thoughts of Jody the first person POV are many references throughout the book to Jody’s own obsessions or his thoughts on Robbie’s favourite band. Many, many times through the book Jody makes analogies and quotes from Lord of the Rings as it’s his favourite thing, and those often come at random moments that, along with other throw away similes and observations brighten this dark and ugly story into something lively and funny.

The plot is a minor part of the book. It is clearly an exercise in character development, especially with regards to Jody, the main character. It rattles along with an energy that keeps you interested, despite the lack of a moving, active plot.
For me, the ending was disappointing, but overall it was a very interesting read.