Becoming Henry - Graham Strugnell

Set in South London during the 1970s, Becoming Henry is a sharply observed, big-hearted and brilliantly funny coming-of-age novel. Henry has grand ideas and even grander ambitions. He longs to be recognised - by his family, his peers, and the world - as the comic genius he believes himself to be. Told with emotional precision and wry humour, the story traces Henry's life from his earliest memories in a conventional, emotionally constrained household to the brink of adulthood. Raised in a family where tenderness is elusive and communication often tips into absurdity, Henry finds early refuge in his imagination, music, and books. Adolescence brings contradictions: Henry's idealised sense of himself clashes with a desperate need for connection - particularly romantic or sexual. As he enters his teens, his desire to be desired, combined with a fear of not being enough, results in a phase of anorexia and self-effacement. He lurches from one misjudged crush to another, suffering social humiliations, but also forming deep bonds with other misfit boys who share his anarchic sense of humour. With wit, psychological insight and finesse, the novel explores themes of identity, aspiration, class, and masculinity. It captures the ache of wanting to belong while needing to be seen as different - the longing to be both accepted and exceptional - and the lengths one boy will go to in order to matter. Blending the depth of literary fiction with the accessibility of great storytelling, Becoming Henry is a poignant, funny, and unforgettable portrait of growing up on the fringes.