Author:Phil Earle
"Faces flashed before my eyes.
And for every face there was a time that they had let me down.
Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did."
Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away.
As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble.
But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else.
Can he?
'Phil Earle writes starkly but sensitively about damaged children in this brilliant page-turning novel. It moved me to tears' - Jacqueline Wilson
'Being Billy was a total page-turner - authentic and gritty. Billy's voice doesn't falter . . . spiky, brave and compassionate' - Jenny Downham, author of Before I Die
'Moving and powerful, I loved it' - Sophie McKenzie
Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents.
After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.
Allison Pearson is one of the stars of her generation
—— Evening StandardIf you had forgotten what it's like to be fourteen - or, indeed, are the parent of somebody who is - this is a novel not to be missed
—— Daily MailHilarious and beautiful...Funny, insightful, wonderful
—— Easy LivingAnyone who can make me laugh and cry in equal measure gets my vote
—— GraziaPearson's knack for observing the ups and downs of ordinary folk (and all our faults and foibles) is pitch-perfect and as funny as it is poignant
—— GlamourBetter written than anything by Nick Hornby ... this book is about big things - friendship, motherhood, love, loss - seen through the prism of smoke from a joss stick, set to jingly jangly music that still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, produces a shiver not unlike that from a Fox's glacier mint, and makes me almost, but not quite, want to wet my pants
—— Evening StandardIt's a finely tuned and satisfying plot and the writing is flawless and funny ... But it is the book's subtle and profound examination of its central themes that really makes it shine
—— Chloe Rhodes , Daily TelegraphI Think I Love You is a precisely observed account of the obsessions of early adolescence, doing for the pop crush what Nick Hornby has done for football and vinyl
—— Daisy Goodwin , Sunday TimesPearson (is) a natural comic writer
—— Claire Allfree , MetroIf you had forgotten what it's like to be 14 - or, indeed, are the parent of somebody who is - this is a novel not to be missed
—— Katherine Whitbourn , Daily MailFunny yet poignant story of obsession and first love
—— Good HousekeepingA satisfying celebration of love lost and found
—— SpectatorA wry satire on girlish obsession
—— Sally Cousins , Daily TelegraphThe hugely affecting tale of a teen crush and its consequences decades later, this is a subtle and flawlessly written love story
—— Daily TelegraphPearson's nostalgic narrative clearly marries the pangs of adolescence to mid-life regret. A pitch-perfect portrait of the teenage self.
—— IndependentFunny and poignant, it will also remind you why you'd never want to be 13 again!
—— Prima... examines the extraordinary lengths people will go to when driven by love.
—— Easy LivingThose who survive do dreadful things. This is the nub of their experiences and also, hints the author of our own.
—— The Sunday TimesA highly accomplished debut, this is a chilling portrait of racial tension, social immorality, betrayal and love, and also an atmospheric examination of the end of innocence.
—— The Lady MagazineThe writing is strong and though the sections featuring Gay's earlier life lose momentum, the story picks up pace when the girls' paths become entwined and the conclusion is compelling and thrillingly macabre.
—— TelegraphThis fictional account of a true story gives a darkly shocking version of the events surrounding this tragic case.
—— Good Book GuideBrilliantly melds a factual post-war murder into a dark fictional tale
—— Telegraph
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