Nutcase

A brutal, funny and heart-rending book, it hurtles towards its fate with unremitting pace, energy and cheek.

-- Isy Suttie

This is a brutal book. Upon closing the last page, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. But it's one I'd recommend to anyone. At least, anyone over the age of 18. I hope Williams has more up of this superb writing up his sleeve for us. And maybe next time I'll figure out how he manages it.

* Murder Underground Broke The Camel's Back *

This novel by Tony Williams is completely magnificent. It's based on the Icelandic saga of Grettir the Strong and is set on a housing estate in Sheffield. It's horrifyingly, scabrously funny. It's one of the most distinctive and addictively readable prose voices I've encountered since Magnus Mills. If there was any justice it would be as big as Trainspotting.

-- Luke Kennard

Read of the fortnight: Nutcase by Tony Williams

Aidan is a violent thug, but also has a heartbreaking gentleness. We rattle through the plot at 100mph, but everything is described in vivid detail. Everything is ugly and sordid, but everything is captivating and beautiful. And this is achieved seamlessly. Nutcase is one of those books that feels effortless; so natural that you don't see the brushstrokes behind the masterpiece. I keep going back to reread sections to see how he pulls it off, and I'm honestly still not sure. But I do know that Williams is a writer on fire. There's no escaping the fact that this is a brutal book.

-- Anna Craig * Sheffield Telegraph *

A powerful, if disturbing, book that will remain with you long after you finish it.

* Blue Book Balloon *

One of the most remarkable things about the novel is that it never loses momentum. This isn't easy when one is essentially describing the lives of a bunch of druggie layabouts; it's a milieu that can soon become a deadly bore. That it does not is both a tribute to the author's handling of pace and a vindication of his choice of style; the saga-form really does suit the material.

-- Sheenagh Pugh