2nd August 2021 Community
Vauxhall about Vauxhall
Gabriel Gbadamosi is a local resident and an exceptional writer of Nigerian/Irish heritage. ‘Vauxhall’ is his extraordinary debut novel, telling the story of a young boy, Michael, growing up in this 1970s neighbourhood. We follow Michael and those who populate his life, while he is on the streets, at school, the market, or exploring old bomb sites with his friends, playing where he shouldn’t be by the river. It’s a comic, harsh and poignant novel, with moments rich in the imagination of a child navigating his relationships with family, teachers and neighbours – a life that is on the verge of change when his family home is about to be demolished as a slum to make way for new tower blocks. This poignant tale is threaded through with fairy tales, wisdom, love and warmth.
