Looks and Smiles

An unsentimental, sympathetic novel of the unemployed young in Thatcher's Britain. From Barry Hines, writer of A Kestrel for a Knave and The Gamekeeper 1980, Sheffield: a city on its knees after decades of steel industry decline and facing the brutal economic policies of Thatcher. Mick wants to learn how to be a motorcycle mechanic, but bad luck, inexperience, and tough times make it hard to find a job. At a disco one evening, he meets Karen, who works in a shoe shop, and the pair hang out with Mick's buddy, Alan. Mick and Alan's efforts to find jobs are in vain and they face a choice: remain jobless or join the army, which is recruiting to police the North of Ireland. The author's unerring eye for detail and ear for dialogue are utterly engaging and evocative. Looks and Smiles is a gritty and poignant bulletin from a forgotten period of British history. A Barry Hines classic.