Underdogs

Beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting, funny … At times my own heart was racing as if with the dogs … a story of love, of loss, of hope; of life and how to live it even when the chips are down * Jenny Knight *
Told with a full-blooded voice that is as quick and alive as the hounds that fill its pages, Underdogs captures a forgotten way of life in a forgotten part of England with rare honesty and wit * Scott Preston *
A fast‑paced, fun and tender story of family, connection and community - all carried by a brilliantly distinctive voice * Han Smith *
An original, authentic and distinctly northern tale delivered with a strong sense of compassion for its characters and their community. Powell works consistently within the lingual constraints of her chosen voice and its dialect, the repetitions and rhythms, pushing at its limits to produce a kind of poetry unique to itself * Shaun Wilson *
Louise Powell may not be the first writer to poke a stick into the smouldering remains of the Durham coalfield, but she leads us into a world as vivid and authentic as any dreamed up by her hero, Sid Chaplin * Michael Chaplin *
The love, loss, and craic of the flapping track brings Underdogs to life, delicately balancing larger-than-life characters with the struggles they endure … a masterful piece of storytelling * Ben Halls *
Representation of regional voices in novels is always a winner for me … a memorable book full of grit and heart. Odds on other readers will love it as much as I did * Emma Purshouse *
A touching tale of familial bonds and ruptures in a tough world, Underdogs is raw and rich in humanity – Ben Woolhead * Buzz *
Captures life on the fringes … Written in local vernacular, Underdogs rings true from first page to last * The Crack *
More than just a tale about greyhounds … Family and community are central to this story, with the humour and compassion of a wonderful cast of characters radiating off the pages * Irish Examiner *
An unemployed widower, down to his last idea to keep a roof over his small son’s head, inserts himself into a scheme to put one over on the bookies with a greyhound racing coup. A winning blend of pathos and hilarity ensues, as the project stubbornly refuses to go to plan. * Strong Words *

Louise Powell is an award-winning working-class writer from Middlesbrough. She won the Sid Chaplin Northern Writers’ Award 2023, and was the joint recipient of the Peter Lathan Prize for New Playwriting 2022. Louise’s plays have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra and performed at nine theatres. She has written three commissioned short art films, as well as two Arts Council funded audio documentary series, and was published in Kit de Waal’s acclaimed Common People anthology. She is the author of the Coal Face poetry and creative non-fiction collections. She has a PhD in English from Sheffield Hallam University. She has also held a Professional Greyhound Trainer’s Licence. Underdogs is her first novel.

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