A young man lies bleeding in the street. It could be any street, in any city. But it's not. It's Glasgow. And it's May - the marching season. The Orange Walks have begun. Graham doesn't want to be involved. He just wants to play football with his new mate, Joe. But when he witnesses a shocking moment of violence, suddenly he and Joe are involved. With Catholics, and with Protestants. With a young Muslim asylum-seeker, and his girlfriend. With all the old rivalries - and fears...A gripping tale about two boys who must find their own answers - and their own way forward - in a world divided by differences.
I'm sure this book has salient points to deliver about football, hooliganism, hatred of the unknown - whether it be religion, culture, or anything else -, the background of the Orange Order, and I'm sure that this would make an interesting read for a football fan in their early teens. At least, I guess there may be a way to connect to the football aspect of it - even if the footie talk is mostly limited to the two Glaswegian teams in the early 2000s.
I'm glad I read this, but I am feeling rather "meh" about it. At least, I can now delete it from my kindle (not that I know how it got there in the first place...).
