This is Surrey where nothing bad ever happens. Except somehow, 15 year-old Verapen - half Tamil, half-Jew and the fastest runner in the school - has just helped bury Moon Suzuki, the girl he loved.

His Dad has run off with an optician and his Mum's going off the rails; then, there's his trainer, who's has been accused of kiddie-fiddling. Since when did growing up in the suburbs get this complicated?

As the knots of Moon and Verapen's tragic story unfold, Niven Govinden brings to life a misfit hero of the school gates, bristling with tenderness, venom and vigour. Graffiti My Soul is a hip, rich, big-hearted book full of unexpected twists and inspiring humanity.