Description

Book Synopsis

A young warehouseman, his promising football career cut short by injury, counts flanges, valves and couplings for a living. He longs for the warmth and women of the office, but the prostitutes who hang around the high-rise are easier to deal with. Drink provides relief, if not escape, and probably the last thing he should dream of becoming is a writer, but then he buys himself a note pad and pen.

This debut novel by Neil Campbell, author of the short story collections Broken Doll and Pictures From Hopper, is a moving and darkly comic meditation on the challenge of trying to realise dreams in a harsh and unfair world.



Trade Review

The work it does is largely done through flat description and that description is as close to the interior monologue of a young Mancunian lad of a particular generation as it is possible to get and still end up with a saleable book. For that alone, this novel is surely already a regional classic of some sort.

* The Manchester Review of Books *

A heartfelt account of one man’s journey of self discovery. It is at times moving and thought provoking, and it explores the challenges we face as we learn to adjust in what can be an unfair world.

* The Owl on the Bookshelf *

The Manchester Trilogy: Book 1

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    £8.54

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    RRP £8.99 – you save £0.45 (5%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Thu 6 Aug 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Neil Campbell

    5 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Manchester Trilogy: Book 1 by Neil Campbell

      Publisher: Salt Publishing
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 25/10/2016
      ISBN13: 9781784630379, 978-1784630379
      ISBN10: 1784630373

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      A young warehouseman, his promising football career cut short by injury, counts flanges, valves and couplings for a living. He longs for the warmth and women of the office, but the prostitutes who hang around the high-rise are easier to deal with. Drink provides relief, if not escape, and probably the last thing he should dream of becoming is a writer, but then he buys himself a note pad and pen.

      This debut novel by Neil Campbell, author of the short story collections Broken Doll and Pictures From Hopper, is a moving and darkly comic meditation on the challenge of trying to realise dreams in a harsh and unfair world.



      Trade Review

      The work it does is largely done through flat description and that description is as close to the interior monologue of a young Mancunian lad of a particular generation as it is possible to get and still end up with a saleable book. For that alone, this novel is surely already a regional classic of some sort.

      * The Manchester Review of Books *

      A heartfelt account of one man’s journey of self discovery. It is at times moving and thought provoking, and it explores the challenges we face as we learn to adjust in what can be an unfair world.

      * The Owl on the Bookshelf *

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