Book clinic: where are all the British working-class writers?

Q: Most of the British novels I’ve read are about middle- or upper-class people. Do you have any recommendations for British novels about (and ideally written by) working-class people?
Anonymous, 34, London

Kerry Hudson, novelist and author of Lowborn, a memoir exploring what it means to be poor in Brexit Britain, which will be published in May 2019, writes:
I understand your frustration since that’s one of the things that drove me to start writing novels. Happily, there is a huge quantity of working-class literature and talent out there and I believe it is only growing. When I think of exceptional working-class novels from the last few years, I inevitably think of Kit de Waal’s My Name Is Leon and Paul McVeigh’s The Good Son, both skilfully written books about two very different boys’ challenges growing up in working-class environments.

Scotland has an incredible wealth of working-class writers, thanks to a strong community and tradition of support from established authors. There’s a host of brilliant writers to discover, but my favourites include Janice Galloway, James Kelman, Jenni Fagan and Lisa O’Donnell. I wouldn’t think to play favourites here, choose any of these writers’ fine books and you’re in for a treat.

I’m often trying to impress on the industry that there’s an appetite for working-class books and it helps if the book-buying public take a risk on new voices. Debut novels I’ve been impressed with this year include the magical North Yorkshire coming-of-age novel How Saints Die by Carmen Marcus, Glen James Brown’s hugely accomplished interlinked stories about a Middlesbrough housing estate, Ironopolis, and Home, Amanda Berriman’s heart-wrenching tale of a family on the edge.

For even fresher talent, I unreservedly recommend the forthcoming anthology Common People. Edited by De Waal, it features writers such as Malorie Blackman and Damian Barr, alongside talented new working-class voices, including two writers I tip for big things, Shaun Wilson and Astra Bloom.

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