Paperboy

One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. In fact, these pages are packed with so many good lines, even the footnotes are a joy to read. …Witty and wise, moving but never mawkish, this is the kind of memoir that puts most others to shame * TIME OUT *
Entrancing, funny, deeply moving and wonderfully written. Please read it – ELIZABETH BUCHAN
Funny and charming…here a voracious young reader makes his great mental escape from the suburban Stalag of south London via the literature that, once he masters its craft, will lead him back to recreate this lovingly detailed past – Boyd Tonkin * INDEPENDENT ‘Books of the Year’ *
Beautiful, magical and moving * DAILY MAIL *
Absolutely charming…beautifully written, with a sort of English Thunderbolt Kid (Bill Bryson) feel. Highly recommended – Sarah Broadhurst * BOOKSELLER *
The book is fabulous, and I hope it sells forever. – JOANNE HARRIS
Delightfully written, this funny and engrossing memoir is a wonderful evocation of a Fifties and Sixties childhood * CHOICE ‘Book of the Month’ *
Upbeat and forgiving…Fowler’s South London childhood was deeply weird…but the tone is sunny, and anyone who remembers Mivvis, jamboree bags, streets with no cars, Sid James and vast old Odeons will love this Sixties retro-fest * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *
A wonderfully vigorous read, confident in its total recall and acute in its deft definitions of characters. – SAGA MAGAZINE
Humorously recounted, Fowler’s passion for reading is framed by an affectionate description of his London childhood, adding colour to a memoir packed with anecdotes * FINANCIAL TIMES *

Christopher Fowler was the multiple award-winning author of almost fifty novels and short story collections, including the celebrated Bryant & May mysteries. His other novels include Roofworld, Spanky, The Sand Men and Hot Water. He has also written two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy (winner of the Green Carnation Prize) and Film Freak, plus The Book of Forgotten Authors and Peculiar London, Bryant and May’s singular and eccentric guide to the city. In 2015 Chris won the CWA’s coveted ‘Dagger in the Library’ for his body of work. He lived in London and Barcelona. Diagnosed with cancer just as the UK went into lockdown in 2020, Chris died on 2nd March 2023.

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