1985: Road to Nowhere

by Leo Harrison

Pop Stars – Punks – Dealers – Dossers - Anarchists – Hare Krishnas – Hippies – Crusties – Coppers They’re all here in Leo Harrison’s darkly comic debut novel. 1985 ingeniously chronicles the dying embers of Generation X, viewed through the eyes of four North Londoners teetering on the edge of adulthood. Danny Morley, Ben Bolan, Julie Kane and Fortune Goodluck are readying themselves for the biggest gig of their lives – the band is on its way at last! Or so they think… Someone isn't telling the truth, and best intentions mutate into a series of disasters, forcing a catastrophic exodus from the comfort of their North London homes. Via Hackney’s squats to the emerging cool of Bristol’s art scene, we follow the misadventures and tangled relationships of our four friends, all the way to the quagmire fields of Glastonbury. It is here a chance encounter returns them to London for the greatest day in the history of rock ‘n’ roll… 1985 Road To Nowhere is a stark, hilarious and truly vivid recollection of the highs and lows of the mid 1980’s. If you love Irvine Welsh and Nick Hornby, Harrison's debut novel is a must-read. “1985 brilliantly and movingly interweaves vivid fiction with historical fact. If you’re old enough, it will bring memories flooding back. If you’re too young to have been there, you’ll wish you were.” “A great read from start to finish – spot on with some fantastic research.” “The best book I have read in a long time… all I can say is park yourself and start reading. It is quite a journey…” “Leo Harrison evokes the carefree impulsiveness of young adulthood whilst describing brilliantly the private torments of self-doubt, relationships and unworldliness, against beautifully choreographed set pieces.” “I read this on my kindle and at 96% the battery died. Never have 10 minutes seemed so long while I waited for battery to charge enough so I could finish the book. Brilliant finale!” The author is writing a sequel which is due for publication in the summer of 2022.

460 pages, Paperback

Published June 26, 2020

About the author

About me - I was born in Hampstead in 1966 into a home with zero mod cons and even less disposable income. However, throughout what was undoubtedly an unorthodox childhood, my parents introduced me to a series of bizarre and eccentric characters. So, to mum and dad (both RIP) I give my thanks for a tendency to drift off into a world of my own imagination.
By day I've had a varied career: antiquarian bookseller, digital marketing agency founder and I even launched a business which went from a valuation of nearly £20M to bust in the space of 18 long months. Consequently, I live a reasonably modest life with my lovely family up near Alexandra Palace.The yacht will have to wait, not that I'd ever want one anyway.
So, a little background on my first book, which might be of interest...
Back in 2017, I found myself immersed in a project that had started as a germ of an idea but grew into an obsession. I wanted to tell the story of 1985 through the eyes of youngsters stumbling through this momentous year. I was eighteen at the time and religiously kept a diary through the year - short entries so not much insight into the depths of my soul, but more a series of recollections - places, people, happenings, some of which provided the broad brushstrokes for the fiction within these pages.
I recalled a place, pre-social media, where we weren't ever-connected and pressured to be always available; a time when many of us searched for any escape from the oppressive politics of the day. We were jokers, dreamers, scammers and charlatans - a cast list whose story just had to be told.
Authenticity was critical and much of my time was spent researching the period. Music, films, TV shows and timings, concert set lists, adverts, technology, sport, current affairs, land and cityscapes were recalled in detail. I shared beers and laughs with those who had communed in Hackney's squats, had travelled in the Peace Convoys and had been present at the infamous Battle of the Beanfield (one of the largest mass arrests in English legal history). Finally, a collage of flashbacks was pieced together by those of us who remembered the wettest and most depressing Glastonbury in history followed three weeks later by the sun-baked elation of the Live Aid concert. It felt like it had all happened yesterday.
I've been scribbling away with ideas on the subject for years, and it was always a deep ambition to complete this novel. '1985' just felt so right, as the parallels and stark contrasts between that era and our own, both culturally and politically, kept bubbling to the surface. The process has been incredibly rewarding and I do hope I have created a compelling read that will not only resonate with my own generation, but also offer a younger audience an entertaining insight into the mid 1980's and how that period proved to be a catalyst in shaping the country we live in today.
I learned pretty quickly that it's a hard slog getting to the finish line. And even then, what should be a moment of celebration is actually filled with self-doubt. I'd love to continue to tell the stories of my main characters though, and have outlines worked out for sequels 1999 and 2016. Let's see what happens...