EAST OF ACRE LANE
Alex Wheatle
4th Estate
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.4thEstate.co.uk
First published in Great Britain by 4th Estate in 2001
Copyright © Alex Wheatle 2001
PS Section copyright © Joanne Finney 2006, except ‘Brixton Hot!’ by Alex Wheatle © Alex Wheatle 2006
Introduction © Paul Gilroy 2020
Police helmet © Getty Images / Peter Dazeley
Street © Getty Images / onebluelight
Flame © Shutterstock
Alex Wheatle asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Source ISBN: 9780007225620
Ebook Edition © 2020 ISBN: 9780007405794
Version: 2020-08-14
‘Wheatle has a compelling prose style and the heady, dope-soaked, scarily aggressive atmosphere of south London is conveyed extremely well. Wheatle’s style and command of language and plot ensure he is a writer to watch’
Observer
‘Beautifully written, funny and full of insight, this is one of the best novels about post-war London to have been written in recent years’
The Times
‘Alex Wheatle weaves witty patois dialogue and cool, crisp narrative into a tone of playful irony, wholly free of rant or rancour’
Saturday Telegraph
‘A welcome trip down memory lane by the Brixton bard … the musical references make you jump and prance and the hard-edged dialogue brilliantly captures that London vibe’
Courttia Newland
‘In East of Acre Lane Alex Wheatle has managed far more than simply pulling off a fast, punchy morality tale centring on a young man’s dilemma about going straight or opting for a life of crime … Action packed, funny and filled with cocky banter between its teenage male characters, references to reggae music and street stye, it’s a cool, credible read’
Big Issue
‘The dialogue … has rhythm and inventiveness. And the violent climax is a cathartic one, the logical and positive first stage of a revolution’
Independent on Sunday
‘This gripping second novel by Wheatle gives a searing account of a young man’s attempt to do the right thing, set against the backdrop of one of the most explosive moments in London’s history – the Brixton Riot. You simply will not want to put this book down until you have finished reading it’
The Voice
‘Treading a Dubliners-esque terrain which swallows up the Brixton landscape, the novel spits out the simmering frustrations of being young, black and British during the Thatcher years … A trademark naturalistic style and a clarity of prose ensure that Wheatle retells a shaping episode in recent British history and tellingly, captures as much of today’s mood as he does of an unforgettable ‘81’
Pride
This novel is dedicated to the life
and musical legacy of
Dennis Emmanuelle Brown
Contents
13 The Teachings of Jah Nelson