Box

Stanley dreams of making it big as a DJ, playing the all-nighters with his sidekick Clive; Pow-Wow's as tough as the next kid, patrolling the streets with his gang; Sylvia just wants to escape from the grind of looking after her ageing mother. When Clive and Stanley join forces to establish a male escort agency, the situation hots up...This is a picture of inner city London. Mark Powell has created a gritty, contemporary landscape filled with a vibrant cast of characters, from wannabe gangsters to professional psychics. Slick, fast-paced and surprisingly tender, BOX is an engrossing window on contemporary London as well as a satisfying page-turner.

Mark Powell was born in 1967. After school he lived in New York for a year with a street gang, then travelled for three years in Europe and the Middle East. After completing a law degree, he joined the Air Force for two years, leaving it to complete the Manchester University MA in Creative Writing. He now teaches literacy part-time to young teenagers who have been excluded from school in Brent, and lives in Bethnal Green.