Scraper – a novel about punk — James Gilberd
This is another punk book set in a different country, this one being New Zealand during South Africa’s Springbok rugby tour there in 1981. It’s told (mostly) in first person present tense by a young punk who forms a band. He’s anti-Springbok, his father is pro-Springbok, which leads to tension between them.
Other than the Springbok stuff, which takes a back seat until the protests start, this is universal enough be set anywhere. So a quick look on Wikipedia will give you enough background information you need. Everything else is pretty much the same as it was in England around that time, fights with skinheads, trendies, etc. No mass unemployment though, everyone seems to have a job or is at college.
About a third of the way through another narrator is introduced (his girlfriend, who also becomes the band’s manager). This is a bit jarring at first, and it takes a while to figure out who is who, but you soon get used to it.
Seems to be ebook only, but it’s only 77p and worth at least three times that much.
