Danny Rhodes
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Fan

Football in the 80s.

Dilapidated stadia. Cages. Hooliganism.

Kenilworth Road. Heysel. Bradford.

The game on a precipice.

In 1989 eighteen year old John Finch spends his Saturdays following Nottingham Forest up and down the country and the rest of the week trudging the streets of his hometown as a postal worker. His blossoming relationship with girlfriend, Jen, is his only other respite.  

In 2004 he spends his days teaching in a southern secondary school and delaying the inevitable onslaught of parenthood.

In 1989 fate is leading him inexorably towards an FA Cup Semi-Final at Hillsborough.  
                
In 2004 the tragic suicide of an old friend leads him back to his home town, to the places and faces he left behind and the memories and moments he's
tried to escape.



Reviews

This is an important book. It is dark and grim and severe but it is a remarkable thing to read. It has immense power and it utterly compelling - http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack/2014/03/the-96-and-the-rest.html

Published to coincide with this week’s 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 96 Liverpool football fans were crushed to death, Danny Rhodes’ third novel focuses on the aftermath for those there, in particular postman John Finch, a 17-year-old Nottingham Forest fan. Clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after watching the tragedy unfold before his eyes, Finch cannot cope. Driven to heavy drinking and popping pills to blot out the violent memories, and emotionally cruel to his girlfriend Jen, he exists in a confused fog until the body of a murdered woman is found on wasteland on his postal route. The problem is, Finch was so out of it on the night of the killing he can’t remember a thing, except coming to bruised and hungover on the stairs of his flat in the early hours. At times stylistically reminiscent of David Peace’s The Damned United — also concerning Nottingham Forest and its manager Brian Clough — which is no bad thing, it’s no wonder Rhodes’ depiction of disaster and ensuing PTSD has the ring of authenticity: he was at Hillsborough that fateful day' - The Daily Mail
 
If you watched football in the 1980s, you'll want to read it. If you started watching the game post-Hillsborough, you MUST read it - Steve Wilson, Match of the Day commentator
 
Rhodes’ bleak novel brings back at a sweep that grim era when football fans died at matches. This painfully compelling tale of a fan who, 20 years on, can never forget that day is like a relentless drumbeat inside your head; a silent scream demanding to be heard – Times Higher Ed Supplement

An amazing read. This is the first thing that definitely needs saying. Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read for impassioned impact, beauty of writing, absolute authenticity and pure emotional resonance - http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/highly-recommended/

This book was incredible, a harrowing issue but written brilliantly. Definitely the best sports book I’ve ever read and I’d go as far as saying one of the best books I’ve read in my life - http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2014_03_01_archive.html

Nothing I can say will do this book justice and if you only take one thing away from this jumble of words make sure it is this: READ THIS BOOK. Read it, love it, and tell the world about it - http://bookaddictshaun.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/review-fan-by-danny-rhodes-55.html#more

Rhodes is a writer pre-occupied with pace and brooding tension. The sentences are delivered in a hyperventilating style, and the overall effect is claustrophobic and unsettling, as it should be. The momentum towards the inevitable conclusion builds brilliantly. It feels similar in tone to another book sharing the same pivotal character: ‘The Damned United’, by David Peace. (I hope Danny Rhodes considers that to be a compliment) - http://dfr10.wordpress.com/

FAN is about football.  But it is also about community, compassion, belonging; living, dying, bereavement, PTSD. It is a truly unique book which I am sure was exceptionally difficult for Danny Rhodes to research and write.  I hope it gets the acclaim it deserves - http://bookswithbunny.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/fan-danny-rhodes.html

A cracking and compulsive read which drives you relentlessly on - football, the eighties, relationships and growing up - it's all in there - Football Book Review
 
The best writing stays with you, makes you think well beyond closing the back cover. Fan does that on two levels; life and football. What else is there? - Mist Rolling In
 
FAN is a novel grounded in authenticity. Rhodes evokes time and place without sacrificing story. A compelling book - Thin White Line Magazine
 
It really is a cracking book – like all great football books it transcends football and tells us about people: their weaknesses, their loves, their failures and their strengths - All That's Left
 
Danny Rhodes has bared his soul with this book.  Raw, intense and profound, it is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.  You don't have to know anything about football to understand the meaning of this book.  You just need to understand grief, trauma and reality. Recommended - Bleach House Library
 
An amazing read. This is the first thing that definitely needs saying. Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read for impassioned impact, beauty of writing, absolute authenticity and pure emotional resonance - Liz Loves Books
 
Fan is so much more than a football, or a sports, book. It’s a searingly powerful exploration of raw pain and emotion and one of the most unforgettable books I’ll read this year - Louise Reviews
 
This book is incredible, a harrowing issue but written brilliantly. Definitely the best sports book I’ve ever read and I’d go as far as saying one of the best books I’ve read in my life. Words just don’t do FAN enough justice – Book Drunk



Danny Rhodes - Writer

I can never go back on what I’ve written. If it was not good, it was true; if it was not artistic, it was sincere; if it was in bad taste, it was on the side of
life
 
- Henry Miller