Pick of the week

after The Lights go out

by John Vercher, Pushkin Vertigo, hardback £14.99, ebook £9.99

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If you want a stark and dark tale of a man fighting against himself and the world, After The Lights Go Out is sheer perfection.

John Vercher is economical with his words, the same way lead character Xavier is in the ring. Or at least how he used to be. Xavier ‘Scarecrow’ Wallace was an MMA fighter with the world at his feet, before he was suspended for a year.

We meet Xavier as his suspension is about to be lifted – and as his personal life is falling apart.

He is forgetting chunks of time due to his violent career and burgeoning dementia pugilistica, his father has end-stage Alzheimer’s and is getting violent, and his cousin Shot is betting on Xavier to have his back and save his gym.

Fans of MMA will be fascinated by this complex story set in the shadows of an increasingly lucrative sport.