'The Illumination of Merton Browne' by JM Shaw

‘The Illumination of Merton Browne’ follows the story of Merton Browne, a boy living on a tough housing estate, having to deal with violence, drugs and gangs. He lives with his mum and ‘Uncle’ Tuck. To escape their volatile relationship, Merton hides in a cupboard with a torch and a Tintin comic, pretending he’s in space.

Merton thinks that high school will provide an education that will help him get away from the deprived estate but instead he spends most of his time in an abandoned bunker, hiding from Savage and Mary, the leaders of the two gangs at school.

To keep the two gangs at bay, Merton pays them off with cocaine stolen from his mum’s new boyfriend Mike, an addict that has spent time in prison and loves to beat up Merton’s mum.

Savage and his ‘posse’ leave school, but Savage asks Merton to become his ‘legal advisor’ to make sure he doesn’t get caught by the police.

After a burglary goes wrong, Merton is caught by the police and made to do community service with a man named James Gibbon. Gibbon used to be a teacher at Merton’s school when it was a grammar school, and eventually agrees to tutor Merton after they become friends.

Due to Merton’s sheer enthusiasm to learn and his ability to learn very quickly, Gibbon decides Merton should apply to Cambridge. Merton’s school disagrees but, thanks to Merton’s charm, he manages to convince the school secretary to slyly get the headmaster to sign his admission form.

After barely getting to his interview on time, Merton thinks he’s made a bad impression because of his heated discussion with the professors. No one thinks Merton will get in, apart from Merton’s girlfriend and Gibbon, because, after all, he’s just a thug from a housing estate.

The opening paragraph of ’The Illumination of Merton Browne’ is “I don’t know who my father is, and to tell you the truth I don’t give a shit. As soon as he’d shot his load, setting me afloat in my mother’s brown velvety womb, he scorched his tackle under the hot tap, grabbed his coat, and scarpered” which shows the edgy side of Merton, and his dark sense of humour.

‘The Illumination of Merton Browne’ is beautifully told. It’s sharp and insightful, and shouldn’t be missed.