Tyro

Set in the Scottish docklands in 1953 this is a story of bullying in all its degrees from the schoolyard bully through the terrors of an apprentice’s initiation to criminal invasion of privacy. The power of the novel lies in its setting with the brooding menace of the vindictive character of Jack Coultree reflected in the dark and dirt of the dockyards and the bowels of the large ships where the young apprentices, Andrew and Oliver are each involved in their own struggle against the power of the bully. The story also offers a sympathetic understanding of homosexuality which may be more suited to readers aged 12+