Changes

|title=Tears of a Phoenix

|author=Helen Noble

|borrow=Yes

|isbn=978-1846949883

|pages=238

|publisher=Soul Rocks Books

|date=May 2012

|summary=A fascinating exploration of what makes, sustains and could possibly save a violent offender. Ghanaian culture mixes with the English penal system and an accumulated family history of pain and hopelessness in Helen Noble's insightful, unusual debut novel.

}}

It was almost inevitable that Jed Johnson would follow his brothers into crime. The slippery slope from care to young offenders' institute to an eventual life sentence was almost predictable despite his mother's attempts to raise him for responsibility. However, once serving the life sentence, Jed has time to think and, aided by Elisabeth, a prison service psychologist, he assesses his past and decides how he'd like his future to look. Decision doesn't guarantee fulfilment though, and Jed has a long way to go before he knows how his story will end.

In the end ''Tears of a Phoenix'' is Jed's journey. In concept it may be emotional and complex but it's an easy, engaging read covering a life of disruption and vengeance that's far from unique. This is not just writing as entertainment (and it ''is'' very entertaining) but also an interpretation of the gangster mind that the media like to lump under the all-embracing brand of 'criminal' when perhaps it would be more profitable to look at the individual rather than the label.

If you've enjoyed this and would like to read more about Ghanaian culture in the UK, try [[Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman]].

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[[Category:Literary Fiction]]