In The Ends by Alex Wheatle
Dec. 31st, 2023 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Welcome to Crongton where your loyalties and wits will be tested …
Jonah’s the fastest sprinter in the ends. But that won’t help his dad find a new job, or stop his parents arguing over how to pay their never-ending bills.
Getting kidnapped by Manjaro, the most notorious warlord in South Crong, wasn’t the obvious solution to all his problems. But Manjaro likes games. And his latest one comes with a map and the promise of a big bag of cash at the end. Cash Jonah’s family could really use …
Jonah and his friends are up for the quest, but will the map lead them to treasure, or into more trouble instead?
15-year-old Jonah Hani lives with his mum, dad and big sister Heather in a tower block in South Crongton. Jonah’s the fastest runner in South Crongton and his P.E. teacher Mr Smallwood thinks that he has what it takes to be an Olympic sprinter if he can just keep up his training and take it seriously but Jonah’s got a lot on his plate at the moment that’s distracting his attention.
For starters, ever since his dad lost his job at the council’s housing department his family’s been having money problems and have even had to use a food bank to ensure they can eat. This in turn has led to his mum and dad arguing more and more, especially as his mum thinks that his dad isn’t putting enough effort into finding a new job.
Then there’s the fact that local crime kingpin Manjaro (last seen in LICCLE BIT) has been seen back in South Crongton. Jonah knows that Manjaro has unfinished business in the area but he wasn't expecting was for Manjaro’s trusted lieutenants Pinchers and Lady P to be waiting for him after school to take him to where Manjaro’s holed up. And he definitely isn’t expecting the offer that Manjaro has for him: if Jonah follows the clues that Manjaro has left for him, then there’s a bag of treasure waiting for him at the end - treasure that Manjaro expects him to share with Liccle Bit and (in turn), Liccle Bit’s nephew (who’s Manjaro’s son).
Jonah takes Manjaro’s offer to the other Knights of Crongton but they know that nothing’s ever simple when Manjaro’s concerned and are worried about doing that could get the attention of rival gang land leader Major Worries. But the lure of the possibility of having enough cash to sort out his family’s problems is a big one and all of the Crongton Knights could do with the money, even if that carries the risk of serious injury or even death …
The 5th in Alex Wheatle’s YA CRONGTON SEQUENCE is a pacy affair whose portrayal of life on a council estate gives a feel of community and the ambition of its adolescents without downplaying the issues with living there. Wheatle’s got a great ear for dialogue (although I fear that it may date it more quickly than it deserves) and the rapport between Jonah and his friends rings very true such that I need to read the other books in this series.
I picked this up because I’d previously read STRAIGHT OUTTA CRONGTON and been impressed with Wheatle’s narrative voice, his portrayal of life on a council estate and also his portrayal of (in that book) female friendship. All of those positive attributes are equally applicable to this book.
In this case the focus is more on the male friendship that Jonah has with the other Knights of Crongton (McKay, Liccle Bit and Boy from the Hills) which seems easy and realistic and completely believable. I haven’t read previous books featuring this group (LICCLE BIT and CRONGTON KNIGHTS) so I don’t know how much the portrayal and relationships have changed, but I did like the way that Wheatle incorporates how Liccle Bit’s relationship with Venetia and Jonah’s crush on Saira brings them into the group and affects the dynamics.
I hadn’t encountered Manjaro before as a character but he is an interesting antagonist - charismatic, clever, cunning and manipulative - and although Wheatle gives a potted summary of his history with Liccle Bit and McKay there’s still enough here for me to be interested in going back to read the earlier books. The quest element here also works well as Manjaro goes into history to formulate his clues so both the Knights and the reader learn something, although if you think too hard about what it would have taken to set up the clues and the risk of someone stumbling across them accidentally, then it does begin to look shaky. Given the death of a side character about a third of the way through the book, it’s a shame that Wheatle didn’t decide to have Major Worries or one of the other Crongton gang leaders decide to look for the treasure as well because it would have upped the stakes further and created more of a sense of danger.
Jonah is a very believable character and Wheatle does a great job of portraying his family life. Although he doesn’t spell it out, it’s clear that his father has depression as a result of losing his job and I could well believe the adverse impact that this has had on his marriage and his self-confidence. Equally well done is Wheatle’s portrayal of poverty and living on the breadline and a scene where Jonah and his dad have to go to the food bank for the first time and Jonah’s embarrassment at being seen and knowing that the estate will know his business is very sensitively done.
Wheatle’s particular strength is his ear for dialogue and the way he brings in street patois feels authentic and you can easily imagine these teens hanging out on an estate and chatting to each other. My one concern is that I worry that the way he uses this patter could end up dating the book sooner than it deserves and I hope that it doesn’t because there’s a lot to like about this story and it deserves to be read by teens for a long time.
Ultimately this is a strong book that keeps you turning the pages and reeks with authenticity and I will definitely go back and read the preceding books in the sequence so that I can make sure I’m fully caught up with South Crongton’s residents.
The Verdict:
The 5th in Alex Wheatle’s YA CRONGTON SEQUENCE is a pacy affair whose portrayal of life on a council estate gives a feel of community and the ambition of its adolescents without downplaying the issues with living there. Wheatle’s got a great ear for dialogue (although I fear that it may date it more quickly than it deserves) and the rapport between Jonah and his friends rings very true such that I need to read the other books in this series.
IN THE ENDS was released in the United Kingdom on 17th August 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Jonah’s the fastest sprinter in the ends. But that won’t help his dad find a new job, or stop his parents arguing over how to pay their never-ending bills.
Getting kidnapped by Manjaro, the most notorious warlord in South Crong, wasn’t the obvious solution to all his problems. But Manjaro likes games. And his latest one comes with a map and the promise of a big bag of cash at the end. Cash Jonah’s family could really use …
Jonah and his friends are up for the quest, but will the map lead them to treasure, or into more trouble instead?
15-year-old Jonah Hani lives with his mum, dad and big sister Heather in a tower block in South Crongton. Jonah’s the fastest runner in South Crongton and his P.E. teacher Mr Smallwood thinks that he has what it takes to be an Olympic sprinter if he can just keep up his training and take it seriously but Jonah’s got a lot on his plate at the moment that’s distracting his attention.
For starters, ever since his dad lost his job at the council’s housing department his family’s been having money problems and have even had to use a food bank to ensure they can eat. This in turn has led to his mum and dad arguing more and more, especially as his mum thinks that his dad isn’t putting enough effort into finding a new job.
Then there’s the fact that local crime kingpin Manjaro (last seen in LICCLE BIT) has been seen back in South Crongton. Jonah knows that Manjaro has unfinished business in the area but he wasn't expecting was for Manjaro’s trusted lieutenants Pinchers and Lady P to be waiting for him after school to take him to where Manjaro’s holed up. And he definitely isn’t expecting the offer that Manjaro has for him: if Jonah follows the clues that Manjaro has left for him, then there’s a bag of treasure waiting for him at the end - treasure that Manjaro expects him to share with Liccle Bit and (in turn), Liccle Bit’s nephew (who’s Manjaro’s son).
Jonah takes Manjaro’s offer to the other Knights of Crongton but they know that nothing’s ever simple when Manjaro’s concerned and are worried about doing that could get the attention of rival gang land leader Major Worries. But the lure of the possibility of having enough cash to sort out his family’s problems is a big one and all of the Crongton Knights could do with the money, even if that carries the risk of serious injury or even death …
The 5th in Alex Wheatle’s YA CRONGTON SEQUENCE is a pacy affair whose portrayal of life on a council estate gives a feel of community and the ambition of its adolescents without downplaying the issues with living there. Wheatle’s got a great ear for dialogue (although I fear that it may date it more quickly than it deserves) and the rapport between Jonah and his friends rings very true such that I need to read the other books in this series.
I picked this up because I’d previously read STRAIGHT OUTTA CRONGTON and been impressed with Wheatle’s narrative voice, his portrayal of life on a council estate and also his portrayal of (in that book) female friendship. All of those positive attributes are equally applicable to this book.
In this case the focus is more on the male friendship that Jonah has with the other Knights of Crongton (McKay, Liccle Bit and Boy from the Hills) which seems easy and realistic and completely believable. I haven’t read previous books featuring this group (LICCLE BIT and CRONGTON KNIGHTS) so I don’t know how much the portrayal and relationships have changed, but I did like the way that Wheatle incorporates how Liccle Bit’s relationship with Venetia and Jonah’s crush on Saira brings them into the group and affects the dynamics.
I hadn’t encountered Manjaro before as a character but he is an interesting antagonist - charismatic, clever, cunning and manipulative - and although Wheatle gives a potted summary of his history with Liccle Bit and McKay there’s still enough here for me to be interested in going back to read the earlier books. The quest element here also works well as Manjaro goes into history to formulate his clues so both the Knights and the reader learn something, although if you think too hard about what it would have taken to set up the clues and the risk of someone stumbling across them accidentally, then it does begin to look shaky. Given the death of a side character about a third of the way through the book, it’s a shame that Wheatle didn’t decide to have Major Worries or one of the other Crongton gang leaders decide to look for the treasure as well because it would have upped the stakes further and created more of a sense of danger.
Jonah is a very believable character and Wheatle does a great job of portraying his family life. Although he doesn’t spell it out, it’s clear that his father has depression as a result of losing his job and I could well believe the adverse impact that this has had on his marriage and his self-confidence. Equally well done is Wheatle’s portrayal of poverty and living on the breadline and a scene where Jonah and his dad have to go to the food bank for the first time and Jonah’s embarrassment at being seen and knowing that the estate will know his business is very sensitively done.
Wheatle’s particular strength is his ear for dialogue and the way he brings in street patois feels authentic and you can easily imagine these teens hanging out on an estate and chatting to each other. My one concern is that I worry that the way he uses this patter could end up dating the book sooner than it deserves and I hope that it doesn’t because there’s a lot to like about this story and it deserves to be read by teens for a long time.
Ultimately this is a strong book that keeps you turning the pages and reeks with authenticity and I will definitely go back and read the preceding books in the sequence so that I can make sure I’m fully caught up with South Crongton’s residents.
The Verdict:
The 5th in Alex Wheatle’s YA CRONGTON SEQUENCE is a pacy affair whose portrayal of life on a council estate gives a feel of community and the ambition of its adolescents without downplaying the issues with living there. Wheatle’s got a great ear for dialogue (although I fear that it may date it more quickly than it deserves) and the rapport between Jonah and his friends rings very true such that I need to read the other books in this series.
IN THE ENDS was released in the United Kingdom on 17th August 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
