132: Jonathan Trigell on Boy A | Literary Fiction, Crime, Punishment & Second Chances

Jonathan Trigell joins me for this episode of Reading Is Political to discuss the re-release of his award-winning novel, Boy A.First published in 2004, Boy A became one of the defining British novels of its generation, winning both the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Waverton Good Read Award before being adapted into the acclaimed BAFTA-winning film starring Andrew Garfield. More than twenty years later, the novel has been re-released for a new generation of readers and its themes feel just as relevant today. Our conversation explores why society continues to struggle with ideas of crime, punishment, rehabilitation and forgiveness. We discuss whether children who commit terrible crimes are judged differently from adults, the role of the media in shaping public opinion, and how social media would completely change Jack's story if Boy A were written today. Jonathan's book recommendations:• GB84 — David Peace• If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable — Daniel Trilling• Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York — Andrew Lownie• Lost Boys: Undercover in the Manosphere — James Bloodworth• Fieldwork As A Sex Object — Meena Kandasamy • The Road — Cormac McCarthy• The House at Pooh Corner — A. A. Milne