Book: Liccle Bit
Author: Alex Wheatle
Publisher: Atom (young adult imprint of Little, Brown Book Group)
Price: £6.99 (Paperback)
Review by Mahalia Changlee
Liccle Bit is an intricate novel which offers a refreshing perspective on young urban city life, and intertwines the complex problems of gang culture and relationships through the hilarious and relatable protagonist, 14 year old Lemar.
Lemar (aka Liccle Bit as he is the second shortest boy in his year at school) has to deal with an exhausting sister and a stressed-out single parent mum while trying to stop himself acting before he thinks, which tends to get him into trouble. The atmosphere at home is tense as he struggles to navigate between his public and private life, while feeling restrained by his morals and his desire to make his life better.
Liccle Bit follows the frenzied lives of Lemar and his two best friends – Jonah and McKay. Lemar is frustrated at not having a new phone and with being teased by his mates for not having any luck with girls, though the popular Venetia King starts showing him some interest.
Jonah and McKay offer an insightful contrast to Lemar’s bad decisions, including running errands for South Crongton’s notorious gang leader. Theirs is a tight knit unit and reflects a beautiful friendship and camaraderie. But when his extracurricular activities places his family in danger he has to try and make things right.
It is great to see such a strong friendship in a novel which ventures into the urban gang environment. They all deal with the normal teenage crushes and jokes, but remain a close group throughout.
Wheatle positively embraces the underlying themes of the individual versus the state, peer pressure and social mobility, which makes this book more than just a story, while his tone is strong and relevant. Introducing these themes through a young person’s lens allows the teenage characters to take centre stage, and the topical issues to provide a context for Lemar’s difficult choices.
Despite being in my late teens, I really appreciate Wheatle’s narrative and plotlines. Even during the tense moments – and there are many – Wheatle uses humour to deflate the situation. “All was quiet but my own breathing sounded like a dinosaur’s asthma.”
Most of the dialogue accommodates different accents and shades of personality. The characters use terms widely spoken among young people in the UK: “The smell of macaroni cheese niced up my nostrils.” Although at times the slang and dialects feel overused, they don’t detract from the novel, but add a profound sense of reality and relationship between the reader and the story. Wheatle celebrates the multicultural heritage of the UK’s inner cities.
As a young reader of Caribbean heritage, the Jamaican accents and nuances, combined with London slang, make Liccle Bit a fantastic read. Fantastic because unlike traditional young adult fiction books, the reader is not flown to a mystical land, but is taken to the equally fascinating life of Lemar in an urban city. Young readers will easily recognise the challenges he is grappling with.
Wheatle’s first young adult novel is a great page turner with thought-provoking themes and clever humour, which will resonate with many young people.
Mahalia Changlee is an 18 year old student studying for a BSc in Anthropology at University College London.