Looks and Smiles

First US publication of this unsentimental, sympathetic novel of the
unemployed young in Thatcher's Britain. From Barry Hines, writer of A Kestrel for a Knave and The Gamekeeper

1980, a city on its knees after
decades of steel industry decline and facing the brutal economic policies of
Thatcher. Mick wants to learn how to be a motorcycle mechanic, but bad luck,
inexperience, and tough times make it hard to find a job. At a disco one
evening, he meets Karen, who works in a shoe shop, and the pair hang out with
Mick's buddy, Alan. Mick and Alan's efforts to find jobs are in vain and they
face a remain jobless or join the army, which is recruiting to police
the North of Ireland.

The author's unerring eye for detail and ear
for dialogue are utterly engaging and evocative. Looks and Smiles is a gritty and poignant bulletin from a forgotten
period of British history. A Barry Hines classic.