Jon Franklin's Blog - Posts Tagged "joe-mcnally"
Joe McNally on my debut novel, Shouting The Odds
Shouting The Odds is the rites of passage journey into adulthood of Andy Cooper, the story’s protagonist. A chance visit to his local betting shop leads to his conversion and immersion into a gang of horse bettors - an exclusive club of high hopes, of ‘inside information’, of lucky mascots and lucky streaks. It is a life spent very much in the present - the 2.30 at Haydock, then the 2.45 at Ascot, the 3.00 at Cheltenham - living in the moment with what can feel like one’s life on the line, every time. You know when you fit as a betting shop punter, in the same way as when you have fallen in love. It is a love that widens, matures, helps bear the brunt of setbacks and celebrate the joy of winning. It is cult-like existence, though without the coercion - the discovery of finding your family at last, a family that is often more reliable and rewarding than your blood kin. Conveying these multiple strands in a relationship that is beyond comprehension to so many, is Jon Franklin's key achievement in this book - skilfully and beautifully realised, one that leaves the reader in no doubt that the author has long been one of that chosen few, and still is.
Andy’s home life epitomises yours and mine. He’s no big hero. There is no complicated plot or mystery he has to work through. After all, what can be more complicated than everyday life itself? Confronted by personal loss, by family troubles, romantic problems, by wins and by losses and by lurkers in the shadows, ever alert for weak prey – Shouting The Odds is Andy’s story, well told and utterly credible right the way through to its climatic ending. There’s no padding - though Andy’s challenges are ones that we all recognise, he does not dwell on each. They are recounted as they happen and resolved, and whether that is in Andy’s favour or not, you soon realise that the next crisis will be along very soon.
Shouting The Odds is a tale of perfect length - no doorstop by any means - and all the better for it. The story of a young man drifting into adulthood with the same dreams we all have, but with no obvious means of realising them – not until he finds his real family, his true vocation and all the hope that comes with these. Throughout, Andy’s heart is never anywhere hidden. It's as though the last thing he does on dressing each day is to pin it to his sleeve, raw and open and vulnerable to the world, and that is what makes his story so memorable. I look forward to see how that heart is holding up in Jon Franklin’s follow-up, Manvers Road Star.
Joe McNally is the former Marketing boss at Aintree Racecourse and former Commercial Director at the Tote, where he invented the Scoop6 bet. He is also the author of the Eddie Malloy series of books.
Andy’s home life epitomises yours and mine. He’s no big hero. There is no complicated plot or mystery he has to work through. After all, what can be more complicated than everyday life itself? Confronted by personal loss, by family troubles, romantic problems, by wins and by losses and by lurkers in the shadows, ever alert for weak prey – Shouting The Odds is Andy’s story, well told and utterly credible right the way through to its climatic ending. There’s no padding - though Andy’s challenges are ones that we all recognise, he does not dwell on each. They are recounted as they happen and resolved, and whether that is in Andy’s favour or not, you soon realise that the next crisis will be along very soon.
Shouting The Odds is a tale of perfect length - no doorstop by any means - and all the better for it. The story of a young man drifting into adulthood with the same dreams we all have, but with no obvious means of realising them – not until he finds his real family, his true vocation and all the hope that comes with these. Throughout, Andy’s heart is never anywhere hidden. It's as though the last thing he does on dressing each day is to pin it to his sleeve, raw and open and vulnerable to the world, and that is what makes his story so memorable. I look forward to see how that heart is holding up in Jon Franklin’s follow-up, Manvers Road Star.
Joe McNally is the former Marketing boss at Aintree Racecourse and former Commercial Director at the Tote, where he invented the Scoop6 bet. He is also the author of the Eddie Malloy series of books.
