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LOCKS: A Story Based on True Events
'Blends humour and introspection, poetry and the poignant' - Derek Owusu
'Irreverent, authentic and utterly enthralling. A wonderful book' - Jimmy McGovern
‘1993 was the year that Stephen Lawrence got murdered by racists, and I became an angry Black lad with a “chip on his shoulder”’
Aeon, a mixed-up and mixed-race teenager from a leafy Liverpool suburb, is desperate to understand the Black identity thrust upon him. He grows dreadlocks and immerses himself in ‘gangsta’ rap. But Aeon’s journey of self-discovery is hampered by the fact that the only Black people in his life are his dad and his cousin, Increase.
Aeon’s ambition to find his place in the world takes him to Jamaica. Here, Aeon soon finds that smoking loads of weed, growing messy locks and wearing massive red boots don’t necessarily help him to fit in. Within days of his arrival he is mugged, arrested and banged up in a Jamaican detention centre. Seen as the ‘White boy’, he finds that his journey of self-discovery has only just begun - and he’s going to have to fight for the respect and recognition he deserves . . .
A coming-of-age comedy of errors, Locks is an electric debut novel about growing up, wising up, and finding your place in a world of opposites.
_____
'Twisty, energetic, voice-led . . . Nugent is pure talent' - Raymond Antrobus
'Thought provoking and funny' - David Beckler
'Irreverent, authentic and utterly enthralling. A wonderful book' - Jimmy McGovern
‘1993 was the year that Stephen Lawrence got murdered by racists, and I became an angry Black lad with a “chip on his shoulder”’
Aeon, a mixed-up and mixed-race teenager from a leafy Liverpool suburb, is desperate to understand the Black identity thrust upon him. He grows dreadlocks and immerses himself in ‘gangsta’ rap. But Aeon’s journey of self-discovery is hampered by the fact that the only Black people in his life are his dad and his cousin, Increase.
Aeon’s ambition to find his place in the world takes him to Jamaica. Here, Aeon soon finds that smoking loads of weed, growing messy locks and wearing massive red boots don’t necessarily help him to fit in. Within days of his arrival he is mugged, arrested and banged up in a Jamaican detention centre. Seen as the ‘White boy’, he finds that his journey of self-discovery has only just begun - and he’s going to have to fight for the respect and recognition he deserves . . .
A coming-of-age comedy of errors, Locks is an electric debut novel about growing up, wising up, and finding your place in a world of opposites.
_____
'Twisty, energetic, voice-led . . . Nugent is pure talent' - Raymond Antrobus
'Thought provoking and funny' - David Beckler
338 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
6 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Ashleigh Nugent
3 books9 followersAshleigh Nugent is a Writer, Performer and Creative Director at RiseUp CiC. His publishing credits include poetry, academic journals, magazines and blogs. He was the winner of the 2013 Commonword Memoir Competition, and received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.
Ashleigh’s company, RiseUp CiC, uses creative arts, literature and psychotherapeutic techniques to help prisoners to turn their own lives around.
Ashleigh’s company, RiseUp CiC, uses creative arts, literature and psychotherapeutic techniques to help prisoners to turn their own lives around.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 23, 2023
3.5 stars
Coming of age story about Aeon McMenahan, a mixed-race teenager from suburban Liverpool in the 1990s, who gets more than he bargained for when he goes on holiday to Jamaica to explore his Black identity.
Aeon’s plan for Jamaica (before his narco-come-conservative preacher cousin Increase tags along) is to smoke weed, look good in his brand-name new clothes, and be a real black boy (the fact that he can’t seem to grow dreadlocks is an embarrassment). But Jamaica in the 90s is a hard place, and Aeon ends up arrested for carrying a spliff, then banged up in a juvenile detention center. Will his half-white skin and his English privilege save him?
This was a fairly charming debut novel, underpinned by a believable voice in Aeon, who doesn’t know much about anything, isn’t good at connecting the dots, and relentlessly experiences racism whilst just thinking it’s all a bit of fun. He’s not above a bit of homophobia and prejudice himself, despite his background and hints of a confused sexuality. He’s basically a pretty typical mediocre teenager, and the book is about the deepening of his consciousness.
Like The Death of Murat Idrissi, which I recently read, LOCKS features a second generation protagonist returning to the proverbial homeland and finding it appalling. The representation of Jamaica is quite negative: while the reader can see there are shades of grey, Aeon’s experience is mostly violence and discrimination, and his eventual wisdom, such as it is, is hard won.
There are a lot of interesting ideas here, and a nuanced portrayal of community dynamics and growing up an outsider. It’s not always perfectly executed though. There’s a first-novel feel to it, especially in the structure, explicitly modelled on Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” which is a bit… silly. And precisely because Aeon is an undeveloped teenager with a lot of learning to do, the reader is required to follow him as he makes all kinds of clearly idiotic decisions.
It's a very musical book, drawing on song lyrics to create an atmosphere of rhythm and violence, heat and claustrophobia. The same songs and lyrics curl through the narrative as Aeon parties and gets into trouble, when he is imprisoned, when he attends a swanky tourist music festival, and when he is driven into the deep tropical countryside to meet some family members. The Jamaican characters largely speak in dialect, and this increases the reader’s alienation alongside Aeon, as he struggles to understand the context of what’s happening to him.
This book had a number of rough edges and I think it could have done with a firmer edit, but it was in many ways a hypnotic and new experience.
Coming of age story about Aeon McMenahan, a mixed-race teenager from suburban Liverpool in the 1990s, who gets more than he bargained for when he goes on holiday to Jamaica to explore his Black identity.
Aeon’s plan for Jamaica (before his narco-come-conservative preacher cousin Increase tags along) is to smoke weed, look good in his brand-name new clothes, and be a real black boy (the fact that he can’t seem to grow dreadlocks is an embarrassment). But Jamaica in the 90s is a hard place, and Aeon ends up arrested for carrying a spliff, then banged up in a juvenile detention center. Will his half-white skin and his English privilege save him?
This was a fairly charming debut novel, underpinned by a believable voice in Aeon, who doesn’t know much about anything, isn’t good at connecting the dots, and relentlessly experiences racism whilst just thinking it’s all a bit of fun. He’s not above a bit of homophobia and prejudice himself, despite his background and hints of a confused sexuality. He’s basically a pretty typical mediocre teenager, and the book is about the deepening of his consciousness.
Like The Death of Murat Idrissi, which I recently read, LOCKS features a second generation protagonist returning to the proverbial homeland and finding it appalling. The representation of Jamaica is quite negative: while the reader can see there are shades of grey, Aeon’s experience is mostly violence and discrimination, and his eventual wisdom, such as it is, is hard won.
There are a lot of interesting ideas here, and a nuanced portrayal of community dynamics and growing up an outsider. It’s not always perfectly executed though. There’s a first-novel feel to it, especially in the structure, explicitly modelled on Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” which is a bit… silly. And precisely because Aeon is an undeveloped teenager with a lot of learning to do, the reader is required to follow him as he makes all kinds of clearly idiotic decisions.
It's a very musical book, drawing on song lyrics to create an atmosphere of rhythm and violence, heat and claustrophobia. The same songs and lyrics curl through the narrative as Aeon parties and gets into trouble, when he is imprisoned, when he attends a swanky tourist music festival, and when he is driven into the deep tropical countryside to meet some family members. The Jamaican characters largely speak in dialect, and this increases the reader’s alienation alongside Aeon, as he struggles to understand the context of what’s happening to him.
This book had a number of rough edges and I think it could have done with a firmer edit, but it was in many ways a hypnotic and new experience.
February 8, 2021
This book is just wonderful and I am in awe that it is based on a true story.
The novel follows Aeon, a mixed race 16 year old from Searbank (a fictional suburb of Liverpool). Growing up in England with a Black father and white mother, he was subject to racial abuse but he was never really in tune with that part of his heritage. He decides to embrace it and visits Jamaica, where his father is from, to see if he can learn more about his culture, but in Jamaica he is seen as the White boy.
He travels with his (reluctant) cousin Increase who is eight years his senior. Increase has shunned his heritage after his father (Aeon's uncle) died in the 1981 riots. Jamaica is not kind to Aeon and within a matter of days he is mugged, stabbed, arrested and jailed. Whilst imprisoned, someone he had a run in with is wanting money, going after Increase to get it.
Once Aeon is bailed, they decide they need to get out of Jamaica as quickly as they can, illegally.
Honestly, I couldn't put this down. Ashleigh Nugent is a storyteller, that's for sure. I was so immersed in the story and felt like I could picture everything so clearly. I think having the Jamaican patois and Scouse dialect really helped - I could hear every "like" and "la"! The scenes of the prisons Aeon was kept in and his relationships both in there and with Increase are fantastic. It is a wonderfully descriptive story about a boy trying to find himself.
Aeon thinks back to his teenage years with his mates, Kissy Sunshine (the only girl he ever liked) and his teacher Miss Elwyn and everything that she taught him about being a hero.
It made me want to cry, I felt shocked, I laughed out loud, it educated. It gave me everything. I know it is only part fact but reading this after knowing that Nugent himself fled a Jamaican jail at the age of 17 just blows my mind. The Q&A with Nugent at the end of the book is massively insightful.
I must add that there are a lot of racial epithets used throughout the book that would have been the norm in the 80s and 90s. Just to make readers aware in case that is something that they'd like to avoid.
The novel follows Aeon, a mixed race 16 year old from Searbank (a fictional suburb of Liverpool). Growing up in England with a Black father and white mother, he was subject to racial abuse but he was never really in tune with that part of his heritage. He decides to embrace it and visits Jamaica, where his father is from, to see if he can learn more about his culture, but in Jamaica he is seen as the White boy.
He travels with his (reluctant) cousin Increase who is eight years his senior. Increase has shunned his heritage after his father (Aeon's uncle) died in the 1981 riots. Jamaica is not kind to Aeon and within a matter of days he is mugged, stabbed, arrested and jailed. Whilst imprisoned, someone he had a run in with is wanting money, going after Increase to get it.
Once Aeon is bailed, they decide they need to get out of Jamaica as quickly as they can, illegally.
Honestly, I couldn't put this down. Ashleigh Nugent is a storyteller, that's for sure. I was so immersed in the story and felt like I could picture everything so clearly. I think having the Jamaican patois and Scouse dialect really helped - I could hear every "like" and "la"! The scenes of the prisons Aeon was kept in and his relationships both in there and with Increase are fantastic. It is a wonderfully descriptive story about a boy trying to find himself.
Aeon thinks back to his teenage years with his mates, Kissy Sunshine (the only girl he ever liked) and his teacher Miss Elwyn and everything that she taught him about being a hero.
It made me want to cry, I felt shocked, I laughed out loud, it educated. It gave me everything. I know it is only part fact but reading this after knowing that Nugent himself fled a Jamaican jail at the age of 17 just blows my mind. The Q&A with Nugent at the end of the book is massively insightful.
I must add that there are a lot of racial epithets used throughout the book that would have been the norm in the 80s and 90s. Just to make readers aware in case that is something that they'd like to avoid.
February 6, 2021
Aeon and increase leave the UK to go to Jamaica which they find is very different to the world to the one they’ve left behind. Unfortunately this isn’t a normal holiday and one that they won’t forget for all the wrong reasons. Whilst in Jamaica Aeon is stabbed and also end us up in prison. However, this isn’t Aeon’s first brush with the law. Aeon was first arrested at the age of 14 for something that had nothing to do with him and following that he was arrested again several times during his youth. Racial profiling is dealt with in a very honest and open way in this book. Unfortunately it’s a topic that’s spoken about often and may seem shocking but still happens today.
The theme of racism and identity is evident and plays a big part in this book. As a mixed race man Aeon is defined by the colour of his skin wherever he goes. In the UK he is perceived as a black male and in Jamaica he is perceived as a white male. As for the ending it was definitely intense.
This was a really interesting read and one I wasn’t aware of until the blog tour invitation. I can only describe this as an eye opening read following Aeon’s journey of self-discovery and working out who he really is.
It was one book that left me utterly speechless. At times I felt like I was with Aeon during his journey. It’s a book that definitely made an impression on me and is very relevant to not only people of colour but anyone who has been impacted by the black lives matter movement.
This was a hard hitting read, which in parts might make you feel uncomfortable but it's a book that everyone should read. It’s very relevant to current issues and puts into words a lot of issues that many people have raised in the past. It gives an honest and hard hitting book to anyone who would like a glimpse into the life of a young black man in the 90s.
A book I would highly recommend!
I received gifted copy of an honest review.
The theme of racism and identity is evident and plays a big part in this book. As a mixed race man Aeon is defined by the colour of his skin wherever he goes. In the UK he is perceived as a black male and in Jamaica he is perceived as a white male. As for the ending it was definitely intense.
This was a really interesting read and one I wasn’t aware of until the blog tour invitation. I can only describe this as an eye opening read following Aeon’s journey of self-discovery and working out who he really is.
It was one book that left me utterly speechless. At times I felt like I was with Aeon during his journey. It’s a book that definitely made an impression on me and is very relevant to not only people of colour but anyone who has been impacted by the black lives matter movement.
This was a hard hitting read, which in parts might make you feel uncomfortable but it's a book that everyone should read. It’s very relevant to current issues and puts into words a lot of issues that many people have raised in the past. It gives an honest and hard hitting book to anyone who would like a glimpse into the life of a young black man in the 90s.
A book I would highly recommend!
I received gifted copy of an honest review.
February 6, 2021
Beautifully written with some amazing flows of prose that roll off the tongue quite poetically.
A gripping read with so much depth, it opens our eyes to the world from the perspective of someone who is just trying to find somewhere to belong – a very basic human need in which we can all relate, regardless of race, gender or religion.
This book deals with very real including from race, injustice, stereotypes & identity.
Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions, from heartbreak to hysterics.
This is an amazing debut book from Ashleigh Nugent this story will stay with me for a very long time – Read it now!
A gripping read with so much depth, it opens our eyes to the world from the perspective of someone who is just trying to find somewhere to belong – a very basic human need in which we can all relate, regardless of race, gender or religion.
This book deals with very real including from race, injustice, stereotypes & identity.
Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions, from heartbreak to hysterics.
This is an amazing debut book from Ashleigh Nugent this story will stay with me for a very long time – Read it now!
September 11, 2024
Absolutely phenomenal. Captivating. Moving. And a very good deal of funny. This book ricochets you through the pain of impressive opposites in perspective... The pains of not knowing who is in the mirror looking back at you. Ashleigh Nugent must be a poet at heart, because the depth and flow of some of these passages are so beautifully fluid.
Immersed within these pages you will feel connected to Aeon and his journey.
Highly recommended reading this fantastic story.
Immersed within these pages you will feel connected to Aeon and his journey.
Highly recommended reading this fantastic story.
January 3, 2026
So many layers to this book!! An eye-opening read. Racism, colonialism, identity. A coming-of-age story. An adventure. An autobiography. Poetry & music. I learnt loads. Definitely not an advertisement for the Jamaican tourism board 😂
November 19, 2020
Congratulations on this unique, important book. Eye-opening storytelling, humorous and heartbreaking. The story ranges far in both distance and time, and yet draws the reader in to the narrator's head and never lets go. A voice like no other.
February 8, 2021
What to say about this book? It’s such a difficult one to review because there are so many layers to excavate in this story and they are so hard to convey, it is really a book you need to experience for yourself before you can understand what it is really about.
On the surface, this is the story of a teenage boy, Aeon, who feels the need to escape from his life in the suburban area of Liverpool where he doesn’t feel like he fits in. His mother is white and his father is black and this makes him stand out, subjecting him to negative attention, prejudice and racial slurs. In order to try and find himself, he decides to travel to Jamaica, his father’s birthplace, to try and find his roots. He is a young boy, struggling to establish an identity for himself, as all teenagers do when they haven’t really worked out who they are and are trying on different personas for size, but magnified by his heritage which makes him stand out against his will. Unfortunately, when he gets to Jamaica, he finds he doesn’t really fit in there either and he sense of disorientation about who he is is further compounded.
Aeon is desperate for something to change, he talks about ‘making something happen’ throughout the book and goes looking for adventure. He is on a ‘hero’s quest’ as described to him by his English teacher, who he clearly idolises as one person who has always defended and supported him in the face of a fairly hostile world. However, his quest for adventure gets him into serious trouble in Jamaica, a place completely alien, where he finds that the tough persona he has developed in Liverpool isn’t cutting it. A real ‘fish out of water’ story.
You can’t help but feel for Aeon throughout the book. We all went through that time in our lives feeling like we didn’t know who we are or where we fitted, and this book will bring those memories vividly to life and give you complete empathy for Aeon and the trouble he brings on himself with his rashness and poor decision-making. He is calling out for guidance, which he isn’t getting from his cousin, Instance, who has accompanied him on the trip and is grappling with his own internal demons. However, there is a twisted, tender relationship between Instance and Aeon that again is recognisable to anyone who recognises that blood is thicker than water, even in the most trying of circumstances.
The author’s writing is vivid, tender, brutal and poetic all at once, and really captures the pathos of this story, which I am sure is down to the fact that is is partly autobiographical, but the talent exhibited here cannot be ignored. The imagery jumps off the page in 3D form, and pulls the reader into the heart of the story so you are living it along with Aeon, which is not always a pleasant experience but always feels authentic.
This book was a really moving and affecting read that made me feel like I had experienced something important and truthful when I had finished it. An insight into the conflict that rages within young people who stand out for the crowd and stumble trying to find a place in the world. A powerful coming-of-age story that will appeal to anyone with curiosity, imagination and empathy. In fact, the only people I can imagine won’t like it are the Jamaican Tourist Board.
On the surface, this is the story of a teenage boy, Aeon, who feels the need to escape from his life in the suburban area of Liverpool where he doesn’t feel like he fits in. His mother is white and his father is black and this makes him stand out, subjecting him to negative attention, prejudice and racial slurs. In order to try and find himself, he decides to travel to Jamaica, his father’s birthplace, to try and find his roots. He is a young boy, struggling to establish an identity for himself, as all teenagers do when they haven’t really worked out who they are and are trying on different personas for size, but magnified by his heritage which makes him stand out against his will. Unfortunately, when he gets to Jamaica, he finds he doesn’t really fit in there either and he sense of disorientation about who he is is further compounded.
Aeon is desperate for something to change, he talks about ‘making something happen’ throughout the book and goes looking for adventure. He is on a ‘hero’s quest’ as described to him by his English teacher, who he clearly idolises as one person who has always defended and supported him in the face of a fairly hostile world. However, his quest for adventure gets him into serious trouble in Jamaica, a place completely alien, where he finds that the tough persona he has developed in Liverpool isn’t cutting it. A real ‘fish out of water’ story.
You can’t help but feel for Aeon throughout the book. We all went through that time in our lives feeling like we didn’t know who we are or where we fitted, and this book will bring those memories vividly to life and give you complete empathy for Aeon and the trouble he brings on himself with his rashness and poor decision-making. He is calling out for guidance, which he isn’t getting from his cousin, Instance, who has accompanied him on the trip and is grappling with his own internal demons. However, there is a twisted, tender relationship between Instance and Aeon that again is recognisable to anyone who recognises that blood is thicker than water, even in the most trying of circumstances.
The author’s writing is vivid, tender, brutal and poetic all at once, and really captures the pathos of this story, which I am sure is down to the fact that is is partly autobiographical, but the talent exhibited here cannot be ignored. The imagery jumps off the page in 3D form, and pulls the reader into the heart of the story so you are living it along with Aeon, which is not always a pleasant experience but always feels authentic.
This book was a really moving and affecting read that made me feel like I had experienced something important and truthful when I had finished it. An insight into the conflict that rages within young people who stand out for the crowd and stumble trying to find a place in the world. A powerful coming-of-age story that will appeal to anyone with curiosity, imagination and empathy. In fact, the only people I can imagine won’t like it are the Jamaican Tourist Board.
June 25, 2023
Aeon McMenahem is a mixed race teenager from Liverpool in the early 1990s. He makes poor life choices but seems to be a fundamentally good kid.
Aeon decides to travel to Jamaica for his seventeenth birthday - partly in search of his roots and partly in search of a party. He travels with his older cousin Increase and they book into Peach Paradise resort in Montego Bay. Aeon soon discovers that he has little in common with the locals, and that Jamaica is not always the party haven he had hoped. His holiday starts badly and gets worse.
Locks is an interesting and convincing travel back in time to the 1980s. The social values differ from today and Ashleigh Nugent acknowledges this up front. Some of the racial language used would not be acceptable in 2023. The systematic and overt social exclusion - with teachers, police and officialdom judging people on the melanin in their skin - would not fly today. That doesn't, of course, mean there is no longer racial discrimination, but it is probably more subtle and dressed up more as a meritocracy based on social class.
Aeon doesn't fit comfortably in the accepted categorisations, being deemed black when in England and being deemed white when in Jamaica. He is not poor and not streetwise in England, and is not smart and patrician in Jamaica. He manages always to be on the wrong side - on the outside. Increase, on the other hand. seems much more worldly wise and after trying out various different world-views has fallen for the side of pragmatism. He seems to have reconciled being both black and British.
The story is really farcical and jaw-dropping. It is therefore a surprise to read Nugent's endnotes claiming that the novel is basically autobiographical. This would explain why the creation of the world - of Montego Bay, of Kingston, and of the way Jamaican society functions is so convincing. But it doesn't sit easily to know that a real 16 year old could be treated the way Aeon is treated.
The novel is written with some heavy patois (with a particular focus on feminine hygiene products) that takes some acclimatisation. There is switching back and forth from the present day in Jamaica to back story in Liverpool - sometimes in the middle of conversations. This, too, takes some getting used to. And there are some dreamlike sequences that would be attributed to drugs but which offer important historical context. This is not perfectly executed but worth persevering with.
Overall, this is a work that seems teenage rite-of-passage but which has real hidden depth in social commentary on race and colonialism.
Recommended.
Aeon decides to travel to Jamaica for his seventeenth birthday - partly in search of his roots and partly in search of a party. He travels with his older cousin Increase and they book into Peach Paradise resort in Montego Bay. Aeon soon discovers that he has little in common with the locals, and that Jamaica is not always the party haven he had hoped. His holiday starts badly and gets worse.
Locks is an interesting and convincing travel back in time to the 1980s. The social values differ from today and Ashleigh Nugent acknowledges this up front. Some of the racial language used would not be acceptable in 2023. The systematic and overt social exclusion - with teachers, police and officialdom judging people on the melanin in their skin - would not fly today. That doesn't, of course, mean there is no longer racial discrimination, but it is probably more subtle and dressed up more as a meritocracy based on social class.
Aeon doesn't fit comfortably in the accepted categorisations, being deemed black when in England and being deemed white when in Jamaica. He is not poor and not streetwise in England, and is not smart and patrician in Jamaica. He manages always to be on the wrong side - on the outside. Increase, on the other hand. seems much more worldly wise and after trying out various different world-views has fallen for the side of pragmatism. He seems to have reconciled being both black and British.
The story is really farcical and jaw-dropping. It is therefore a surprise to read Nugent's endnotes claiming that the novel is basically autobiographical. This would explain why the creation of the world - of Montego Bay, of Kingston, and of the way Jamaican society functions is so convincing. But it doesn't sit easily to know that a real 16 year old could be treated the way Aeon is treated.
The novel is written with some heavy patois (with a particular focus on feminine hygiene products) that takes some acclimatisation. There is switching back and forth from the present day in Jamaica to back story in Liverpool - sometimes in the middle of conversations. This, too, takes some getting used to. And there are some dreamlike sequences that would be attributed to drugs but which offer important historical context. This is not perfectly executed but worth persevering with.
Overall, this is a work that seems teenage rite-of-passage but which has real hidden depth in social commentary on race and colonialism.
Recommended.
June 20, 2023
Wowsers... this accelerates fast and badly for young Aeon. But I am getting ahead of myself... Aeon is desperate to find himself. To fit in. But he is a young mixed race man in a world of white people. So has few people to help him understand his origin and heritage. So he ups sticks and, along with his cousin, Increase, goes to Jamaica. But he soon finds out that maybe this wasn't the best idea. Maybe he has made a mistake. Maybe Jamaica isn't the green grass over the other side of the fence... And he finds this out the hard way. With devastating consequences. Mostly perilous but also, often, very very funny... laughing with not at... In fact, where he was seen as black in England, he is singled out as white in Jamaica... Food for thought there methinks...
It's a hard hitting book and shows a side of Jamaica that I didn't know existed in the 80s but then, in the 80s I was playing Radio1 pop tunes and not really paying attention to much else. It reflects a time where things were different and this is displayed in the language and actions depicted. Racism and homophobia get a big look in but are not exclusive. Gangs and drugs also feature...
I found the parts in the detention centre to be quite harrowing, but also amusing. And that's not disrespectful. There is a lit of black humour to be found herein. I guess anything that gets you through, right? I've seen the book billed as "based on true events" but I have yet to find out which bits and how true... but I can well believe that some at least is autobiographical as it is so very well written and really gets to the emotions behind the actions. It was well easy to immerse myself wholly and completely into Aeon's world, harrowing though it was. Increase added quite a lot of the comedy moments... It was also a trip to the past for me as there were several pop culture reference which made me smile...
All in all, a both interesting and intriguing book that I feel privileged to have read. His star shines brightly in my world and, if this is a debut book, I really can't wait to see what's next on the menu...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
It's a hard hitting book and shows a side of Jamaica that I didn't know existed in the 80s but then, in the 80s I was playing Radio1 pop tunes and not really paying attention to much else. It reflects a time where things were different and this is displayed in the language and actions depicted. Racism and homophobia get a big look in but are not exclusive. Gangs and drugs also feature...
I found the parts in the detention centre to be quite harrowing, but also amusing. And that's not disrespectful. There is a lit of black humour to be found herein. I guess anything that gets you through, right? I've seen the book billed as "based on true events" but I have yet to find out which bits and how true... but I can well believe that some at least is autobiographical as it is so very well written and really gets to the emotions behind the actions. It was well easy to immerse myself wholly and completely into Aeon's world, harrowing though it was. Increase added quite a lot of the comedy moments... It was also a trip to the past for me as there were several pop culture reference which made me smile...
All in all, a both interesting and intriguing book that I feel privileged to have read. His star shines brightly in my world and, if this is a debut book, I really can't wait to see what's next on the menu...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
September 8, 2023
I don't know whether me being from Liverpool has made this book funnier, but it certainly adds to it. The phrases, words and locations are all very familiar as well as the attitudes of most people in the 1980s and 1990s. Nostalgic and humorous: I hope that's what Nugent was aiming for. Because this is a tragic and disturbing tale about racism, someone who suffered for being Black - and White. Not a laughing matter.
The narrator of this tale has a dual heritage and all his life he has been called racist names relating to him being Black. At the age of sixteen he decides to travel to Jamaica to find his roots and be with his people. However, it doesn't turn out like that. He isn't as dark skinned as most Jamaicans and despite his best efforts to become more Black, he is nicknamed White Man. Other typically Jamaican activities are practically beyond him. And while this is cringeworthy in a lot of ways (boys trying to act like hard men is universal, too) there is a sad element as he ends up going to prison and then to a young offenders centre. Bullied and beaten and a long way from home.
This is a talented writer who writes with originality, warmth and sensitivity. The Jamaican Patois is a large feature and does take some getting used to but it rather funny at times especially when the characters use it to describe or explain things. There is a feeling of authenticity, which makes this story more distressing - but there is always the witty comment to bring everything back down to earth.
A book about identity, belonging, duality, prejudice, injustice and all things coming-of-age. But mostly it is about stories. Absolutely brilliant read.
The narrator of this tale has a dual heritage and all his life he has been called racist names relating to him being Black. At the age of sixteen he decides to travel to Jamaica to find his roots and be with his people. However, it doesn't turn out like that. He isn't as dark skinned as most Jamaicans and despite his best efforts to become more Black, he is nicknamed White Man. Other typically Jamaican activities are practically beyond him. And while this is cringeworthy in a lot of ways (boys trying to act like hard men is universal, too) there is a sad element as he ends up going to prison and then to a young offenders centre. Bullied and beaten and a long way from home.
This is a talented writer who writes with originality, warmth and sensitivity. The Jamaican Patois is a large feature and does take some getting used to but it rather funny at times especially when the characters use it to describe or explain things. There is a feeling of authenticity, which makes this story more distressing - but there is always the witty comment to bring everything back down to earth.
A book about identity, belonging, duality, prejudice, injustice and all things coming-of-age. But mostly it is about stories. Absolutely brilliant read.
July 3, 2023
Locks follows Aeon, a teenager of dual heritage from Liverpool as he travels to Jamaica to explore his self identity and hopes he will feel more connected to black people as he hasn't exactly had positive role models growing up.
Within a very short space of time, Aeon finds himself in trouble, he's stabbed, arrested, and put in juvenile detention, so yep, things aren't exactly going to plan....
Aeon is quite gullible and doesn't really know much about anything, but he does possess a certain charm, and I found him quite likeable, but this really is a book of two halves for me. I feel like this book could have opened up so many talking points about growing up mixed race in the nineties, and it just felt slightly flat. I wanted more. The first part of the story started off very promising and then lost its way for me. I get the whole point of this book was a coming of age story, but Aeon's silly decision-making got a bit repetitive and by the end of it I just wish he learnt something and I don't really feel like he did.
I did really enjoy the writing style, and the way it incorporated poetry and music gave it an authentic feel, I just ultimately wanted more from the characters. I also enjoyed the commentary from someone who often could feel like an outsider, but again, I just wanted more of that. Overall, this isn't a bad book, and parts of it were enjoyable. I would definitely check out more work from this author.
Within a very short space of time, Aeon finds himself in trouble, he's stabbed, arrested, and put in juvenile detention, so yep, things aren't exactly going to plan....
Aeon is quite gullible and doesn't really know much about anything, but he does possess a certain charm, and I found him quite likeable, but this really is a book of two halves for me. I feel like this book could have opened up so many talking points about growing up mixed race in the nineties, and it just felt slightly flat. I wanted more. The first part of the story started off very promising and then lost its way for me. I get the whole point of this book was a coming of age story, but Aeon's silly decision-making got a bit repetitive and by the end of it I just wish he learnt something and I don't really feel like he did.
I did really enjoy the writing style, and the way it incorporated poetry and music gave it an authentic feel, I just ultimately wanted more from the characters. I also enjoyed the commentary from someone who often could feel like an outsider, but again, I just wanted more of that. Overall, this isn't a bad book, and parts of it were enjoyable. I would definitely check out more work from this author.
February 10, 2021
This was such a heartbreaking, beautifully written book. It hooked me from the first page and held my attention until the very end. It's based on a true story, and it reads as a fictional memoir, which makes it a bit more interesting in my opinion; every time I remembered it's based on Ashleigh's own experiences, my heart broke a little more.
Aeon is the type of character that you immediately connect with and sympathize with. I loved watching him grow from the person he was at the beginning versus the end. The book primarily focuses on his struggles in Jamaica, but there are also scenes in which Aeon thinks back to his life back in Searbank; every time I started to become distracted, the switch between times drew me back in for another few hours.
I adore Ashleigh's writing style. The book was poetic and intense. I experienced so many different emotions while reading this one, ranging from tears to laughter. He's such a talented, inspiring man, and I'm beyond glad I signed up for this book tour.
If you're looking to diversify your reading, this book is a must. It was educational and eye-opening. Despite the deep content, racism especially, it was such a gripping novel that I'll never forget.
Aeon is the type of character that you immediately connect with and sympathize with. I loved watching him grow from the person he was at the beginning versus the end. The book primarily focuses on his struggles in Jamaica, but there are also scenes in which Aeon thinks back to his life back in Searbank; every time I started to become distracted, the switch between times drew me back in for another few hours.
I adore Ashleigh's writing style. The book was poetic and intense. I experienced so many different emotions while reading this one, ranging from tears to laughter. He's such a talented, inspiring man, and I'm beyond glad I signed up for this book tour.
If you're looking to diversify your reading, this book is a must. It was educational and eye-opening. Despite the deep content, racism especially, it was such a gripping novel that I'll never forget.
Want to read
July 26, 2023I was really drawn to this book by the stunning bold and bright cover which really stands out.
I have to admit to my usual, not reading the blurb beforehand and so this one really took me by surprise as it was totally not what I was expecting......but one that will stay with me for a while.
Aeon is a mixed race teen living in Liverpool. Recently disturbed by the brutal, racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, this has left him feeling angry and in need of self-discovery. He sets about stamping his mark within the black community, only to find that there's really only his dad and cousin to turn to and he needs more.
Travelling to Jamaica to further his personal journey, he finds himself, once again, unable to fit in as he's now treated as the "white boy" and realises that he's got a lot of fighting and growing up to do!
I was immediately able to relate to Aeon. Growing up in the North-West around this era, I experienced a lot of this racist culture and this all felt so familiar to me.
The absolutely raw and honest feelings of this struggling teen really did grab my attention and hold it right up to the last page.
What I loved was the injection of humour into this, at times, harrowing journey. It really added something else to the otherwise tense read.
It was great travelling to Jamaica and seeing the culture there during this period too - and so moving to see that racism works both ways and poor Aeon, stuck in the middle and cast out by both identities, was just left fighting whichever way he turned.
The writing style took a little getting used to for me but even so, I was completely hooked from the start and couldn't put this down.
A brilliantly heart-breaking, tough but funny quick read.
I have to admit to my usual, not reading the blurb beforehand and so this one really took me by surprise as it was totally not what I was expecting......but one that will stay with me for a while.
Aeon is a mixed race teen living in Liverpool. Recently disturbed by the brutal, racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, this has left him feeling angry and in need of self-discovery. He sets about stamping his mark within the black community, only to find that there's really only his dad and cousin to turn to and he needs more.
Travelling to Jamaica to further his personal journey, he finds himself, once again, unable to fit in as he's now treated as the "white boy" and realises that he's got a lot of fighting and growing up to do!
I was immediately able to relate to Aeon. Growing up in the North-West around this era, I experienced a lot of this racist culture and this all felt so familiar to me.
The absolutely raw and honest feelings of this struggling teen really did grab my attention and hold it right up to the last page.
What I loved was the injection of humour into this, at times, harrowing journey. It really added something else to the otherwise tense read.
It was great travelling to Jamaica and seeing the culture there during this period too - and so moving to see that racism works both ways and poor Aeon, stuck in the middle and cast out by both identities, was just left fighting whichever way he turned.
The writing style took a little getting used to for me but even so, I was completely hooked from the start and couldn't put this down.
A brilliantly heart-breaking, tough but funny quick read.
July 24, 2021
When I first heard about this book (before it was published) I thought the title was alluding to the prejudice often experienced by Rastas who wear their hair in dreadlocks. Of course, that is also part of the story, but the title has many more meanings than that in Aeon's and Ashleigh's intertwined histories.
I don't want to go too much into the plot - read the back cover if you need to know more about it - so I'll just say that it throws ample illumination on prejudice at many levels, some of which you may not expect. I think there are aspects of that which doesn't get enough attention elsewhere. If you pardon the pun, prejudice is not always black and white.
Aeon is a young hero, sometimes a victim of his own naivety, but ultimately a survivor.
I don't want to go too much into the plot - read the back cover if you need to know more about it - so I'll just say that it throws ample illumination on prejudice at many levels, some of which you may not expect. I think there are aspects of that which doesn't get enough attention elsewhere. If you pardon the pun, prejudice is not always black and white.
Aeon is a young hero, sometimes a victim of his own naivety, but ultimately a survivor.
February 3, 2023
Locks is a compelling autobiographical coming of age novel.
Like all stories with a solid core of truth to them, its real power lies simply in the fact it is being told. Aeon's misadventures are framed as a heroic quest, so that this cocky, conflicted British-Jamaican teen is cast as part of an established literary genre. Even as events spiral out of control, and he is thrust into increasingly bewildering situations, Aeon never gives up his search for a sense of agency and authenticity in his own skin. The section set in a juvenile prison is particularly engaging, and I felt entirely immersed in the boys' world.
Humorous and heartbreaking in equal measures, Locks is a powerful debut.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Like all stories with a solid core of truth to them, its real power lies simply in the fact it is being told. Aeon's misadventures are framed as a heroic quest, so that this cocky, conflicted British-Jamaican teen is cast as part of an established literary genre. Even as events spiral out of control, and he is thrust into increasingly bewildering situations, Aeon never gives up his search for a sense of agency and authenticity in his own skin. The section set in a juvenile prison is particularly engaging, and I felt entirely immersed in the boys' world.
Humorous and heartbreaking in equal measures, Locks is a powerful debut.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
July 5, 2023
Wow what a book. Aeon needs to find himself, growing up mixed race wasn't easy, especially for a 17-year-old. He needs to know who he is, so Increase, his cousin and himself jump on a plane and land in Jamaica, thinking he would get all the answer he needs, how wrong he was. He had to overcome my challenges both good and bad before he could understand just who he was. This story has everything you want from a book and more, real life, honesty, racism, humour, it's moving and powerful. This book is definitely in my top five books of this year.
January 17, 2025
Locks is a very powerful book.
A story of identity and belonging but also so much more. I’ll be honest, there were times I don’t truly understand what was going on, but neither did Aeon and thus I believe that to have been the point.
A British Jamaican truly experiencing his culture for the first time, it was both familiar (as a British Jamaican myself) and yet foreign. With moments of joy, longing anger, it truly expressed the character emotions and depth in a way I haven’t felt from a book in a long time.
Excellent read
A story of identity and belonging but also so much more. I’ll be honest, there were times I don’t truly understand what was going on, but neither did Aeon and thus I believe that to have been the point.
A British Jamaican truly experiencing his culture for the first time, it was both familiar (as a British Jamaican myself) and yet foreign. With moments of joy, longing anger, it truly expressed the character emotions and depth in a way I haven’t felt from a book in a long time.
Excellent read
February 10, 2021
I loved the storytelling of this book and quickly became immersed in it. Told from the perspective of Aeon, a young man of mixed-race searching for his identity and his 'roots'.
It was honest and powerful and yes, at times, painful and uncomfortable, but there were many moments of humour which gave balance.
A contemporary read, both thought provoking and hard-hitting and one I'd recommend a read of.
As a side note, I love the intricate design on the cover!
It was honest and powerful and yes, at times, painful and uncomfortable, but there were many moments of humour which gave balance.
A contemporary read, both thought provoking and hard-hitting and one I'd recommend a read of.
As a side note, I love the intricate design on the cover!
January 28, 2021
What could be classed as a non-fiction novel. More on the blog tour
Read
December 13, 2024A brilliant exploration of colour and class. Absolutely loved it start to finish.
April 21, 2025
Not really my thing.
August 14, 2025
4.5*
The fact this book is based on true events is crazy. So much happens and I’d love more of Aeon’s story.
I loved reading this with the scouse terms! Such a good read!
The fact this book is based on true events is crazy. So much happens and I’d love more of Aeon’s story.
I loved reading this with the scouse terms! Such a good read!
June 17, 2023
Aeon is mixed heritage but in the UK is judged too black to be white. Interestingly, on his trip to Jamaica, he's judged too white to be black!
Following Aeon's rambling monologue, charting his coming of age experiences in the UK and while on his trip to Jamaica; where he seeks to connect with his roots. This is an eye opening and engaging look at racism and how the expectations placed on you pose serious ramifications.
Containing references to racism, violence, drug taking and sex, Locks also contains a number of recognisable popular culture references specific to the time period in which it's set which, if like me, were of your formative years will add additional hooks to the sad tale.
Following Aeon's rambling monologue, charting his coming of age experiences in the UK and while on his trip to Jamaica; where he seeks to connect with his roots. This is an eye opening and engaging look at racism and how the expectations placed on you pose serious ramifications.
Containing references to racism, violence, drug taking and sex, Locks also contains a number of recognisable popular culture references specific to the time period in which it's set which, if like me, were of your formative years will add additional hooks to the sad tale.
August 6, 2023
Excellent
Really good book about a young man's attempt to deal with the racism of his early life in Liverpool and his attempt to find some belonging in Jamaica, the land of his father. Very funny at times, but also deeply meaningful. I look forward to more books from the author.
Really good book about a young man's attempt to deal with the racism of his early life in Liverpool and his attempt to find some belonging in Jamaica, the land of his father. Very funny at times, but also deeply meaningful. I look forward to more books from the author.
February 8, 2021
LOCKS: A Story Based on True Events
“1993 was the year that Stephen Lawrence got murdered by racists, and I became an angry Black lad with a ‘chip on his shoulder’.”
My thoughts:
An absolutely heartbreakingly stunning book. I just couldn’t put it down. I finished it in record time for me and just flew through it. On one hand, I wanted to read more and more and on the other I just wanted Aeon to get back home and to hear his happy ending. I just wanted to reach into the book and rescue him.
A defining part of the book and one of the main reasons for it having such an impact on me was the fact that it’s based on true events and was happening to someone so young on what should have been a positive quest of self-discovery.
This book is written beautifully, I just loved everything about it. It made me smile and then at times it made my heart stop.
I loved the theme of a hero being woven through the whole story and being a teacher myself, it was really poignant to read about aeon thinking back to things his teacher had told him.
And I know I loved this book because I was Googling things I didn’t know but really wanted to find out...like what a doctor bird looks like.
I’ll have this book in my head forever and I’ll never hear the word Jamaica again and not think of Aeon.
What a truly inspirational man Ashleigh Nugent is and I urge you all to read more about him and hear his story.
Purchase Links
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/LOCKS-Story-Ba...
Orders also available from: www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk
Author Bio –
Ashleigh Nugent has been published in academic journals, poetry anthologies, and magazines. His latest work, LOCKS, is based on a true story: the time he spent his 17th birthday in a Jamaican detention centre. LOCKS won the 2013 Commonword Memoir Competition and has had excerpts published by Writing on the Wall and in bido lito magazine. Ashleigh’s one-man-show, based on LOCKS, has won support from SLATE / Eclipse Theatre, and won a bursary from Live Theatre, Newcastle. The show has received rave audience reviews following showings in theatres and prisons throughout the UK. Ashleigh is also a director at RiseUp CiC, where he uses his own life experience, writing, and performance to support prisoners and inspire change.
Social Media Links –
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LocksBook
Twitter - @LocksBook
Instagram - @locksbook
Youtube Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TVr...
“1993 was the year that Stephen Lawrence got murdered by racists, and I became an angry Black lad with a ‘chip on his shoulder’.”
My thoughts:
An absolutely heartbreakingly stunning book. I just couldn’t put it down. I finished it in record time for me and just flew through it. On one hand, I wanted to read more and more and on the other I just wanted Aeon to get back home and to hear his happy ending. I just wanted to reach into the book and rescue him.
A defining part of the book and one of the main reasons for it having such an impact on me was the fact that it’s based on true events and was happening to someone so young on what should have been a positive quest of self-discovery.
This book is written beautifully, I just loved everything about it. It made me smile and then at times it made my heart stop.
I loved the theme of a hero being woven through the whole story and being a teacher myself, it was really poignant to read about aeon thinking back to things his teacher had told him.
And I know I loved this book because I was Googling things I didn’t know but really wanted to find out...like what a doctor bird looks like.
I’ll have this book in my head forever and I’ll never hear the word Jamaica again and not think of Aeon.
What a truly inspirational man Ashleigh Nugent is and I urge you all to read more about him and hear his story.
Purchase Links
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/LOCKS-Story-Ba...
Orders also available from: www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk
Author Bio –
Ashleigh Nugent has been published in academic journals, poetry anthologies, and magazines. His latest work, LOCKS, is based on a true story: the time he spent his 17th birthday in a Jamaican detention centre. LOCKS won the 2013 Commonword Memoir Competition and has had excerpts published by Writing on the Wall and in bido lito magazine. Ashleigh’s one-man-show, based on LOCKS, has won support from SLATE / Eclipse Theatre, and won a bursary from Live Theatre, Newcastle. The show has received rave audience reviews following showings in theatres and prisons throughout the UK. Ashleigh is also a director at RiseUp CiC, where he uses his own life experience, writing, and performance to support prisoners and inspire change.
Social Media Links –
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LocksBook
Twitter - @LocksBook
Instagram - @locksbook
Youtube Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TVr...
May 10, 2023
What a fantastic debut. Ashleigh Nugent uses the "the hero's journey" narrative to tell the story of Aeon, an English-Jamaican teenager trying to find his place in the world and understand his identity. The hero's journey takes him to Jamaica where he quickly becomes out of his depth as an outsider. The themes of social injustice, prejudice and race are powerful in Locks and at times are difficult to read. However, there are amazing moments of beauty and humour throughout the story. I would absolutely recommend this novel.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
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