Sidney Topham

The Perfect 10 Sidney Topham

The most gifted and creative footballer in his academy team, Joe Barker adheres strictly to the pathways outlined by his coaches in order to achieve his dream. Aided by the fearsome reputations of his big sister and closest acquaintances, he undertakes whatever's required of him to turn his dream to reality. He puts extra-ordinary effort into spending minimal time with anybody who might present any obstacle or deviation to his gameplan, be it doing the bare minimum required of him in school or purposely avoiding the hedonistic weekend party drama that his peers live for. When Edward Pendlebury, eloquent and thoughtful with fragile mental health, recently recovered from a recent suicide attempt, bullied and abused out of 2 previous schools, mild aspergers tendencies, and a desperation to escape teenage and embrace adulthood, joins Joes tutorial, the attitude of both boys towards each other very quickly turns to hostility. Neither boy has the desire to even acknowledge each others existence, but, blissfully unaware of the past connections and events that bring them reluctantly into each others lives, the rude awakenings presented to them bring a gradual understanding with explosive life-altering moments in store. Sidney Tophams first novel uses a gritty, chunky mash-up of humour and dark narration to describe the many frustrations of 2010s teenage life in austerity Britain via the observations, anger and frustration of teenage boys, uniquely destroying any remaining rose-tinted notion of school days ever being the best days.