Who They Was

An urgent and electrifying work of autofiction from Gabriel Krauze, the first-hand account of a young man who has lived a life of violent crime. An astonishing, visceral autobiographical debut novel.Gabriel came of age among the high rises and back streets of South Kilburn. He was not an observer on the periphery of violence. He was - personally - heavily involved in gangs, drugs, guns, stabbing and robbery - all while completing an English degree at Queen Mary College, London. In a distinct, lyrical urban slang all his own, author Gabriel Krauze brings to vivid life the underworld of his city and the destructive impact of toxic masculinity. Who They Was comes directly from that experience and, as such, is confrontational, exhilarating, morally complex and utterly unique. It is the story of inner cities everywhere, and of the lost boys who must find themselves in their tower blocks."Who They Was is a powerful, challenging, and fearless debut from an author with a story to tell and the talent to tell it. And if you let yourself get swept away by this narrator, you may just find yourself reconceptualizing your reading process." - Michael Welch, Chicago Review Of BooksGabriel Krauze grew up in London in a Polish family. Who They Was is his debut novel. He was drawn to a life of crime and gangs from an early age. Now in his 30s he has left that world behind and is recapturing his life through writing. He has published short stories in Vice. Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020 A Spectator Book of the Year 'A literary rendering of the Top Boy generation... I cannot conjure another work which captures this culture in such depth – or with such brutal honesty – as only lived experience can tell ' Graeme Armstrong, author of The Young Team 'An astonishingly powerful book' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love This life is like being in an ocean. Some people keep swimming towards the bottom. Some people touch the bottom with one foot, or even both, and then push themselves off it to get back up to the top, where you can breathe. Others get to the bottom and decide they want to stay there. I don't want to get to the bottom because I'm already drowning. This is a story of a London you won't find in any guidebooks. This is a story about what it's like to exist in the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities – and the girls trying to make it their own way. This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance – and never counting the cost. This is a story of concrete towers and blank eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal. This is about the boredom, the rush, the despair, the fear and the hope. This is about what's left behind. "This life is like being in an ocean. Some people keep swimming towards the bottom. Some people touch the bottom with one foot, or even both, and then push themselves off it to get back up to the top, where you can breathe. Others get to the bottom and decide they want to stay there. I don't want to get to the bottom because I'm already drowning. This is a story of a London you won't find in any guidebooks. This is a story about what it's like to exist in the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities and the girls trying to make it their own way. This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance and never counting the cost. This is a story of concrete towers and blank eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal. This is about the boredom, the rush, the despair, the fear and the hope. This is about what's left behind."--Provided by publisher