The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness

★★★★★ A thoughtful tale about music, class, religion and sexual abuse in 1970s and 80s. Caveney, who has previously written books about William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, describes being groomed by a priest and headteacher, who enticed him by offering a cultural education rather than a bag of sweets. But this is no misery memoir. Caveney writes about the way he was manipulated rather than giving horrific details of the abuse.

It is harrowing subject matter, yet the gripping story is easy to read as it is written in short bursts, punctuated by song lyrics and quotes.