Pig Iron

Returning to the post-industrial north-east of England of his upbringing, young gypsy John-John Wisdom wants to escape his past. His new job as an ice cream man should offer freedom, but the legacy of brutality left by his father, the champion bare-knuckle boxer Mac Wisdom, overshadows his life and instead pulls him into the dark recesses of a town where his family name is mud. John-John seeks solace in nature and must find an inner strength in order to escape poverty, prejudice and his violent heritage.

Taking a dual narrative in which past and present intertwine towards a dramatic conclusion, Pig Iron is an unflinching and poetic portrait of contemporary Traveller culture. Set in fairgrounds, woodlands, camp sites, car parks, quarries, and housing estates, it is also a homage to the beauty and diversity of the modern English landscape.

'His poetic vernacular brims with that quality most sadly lost - humanity.' - The Guardian
'In Pig Iron, Ben has managed the tricky task of weaving some incredibly tricky and often shocking themes into a beautifully poetic narrative.' - Sue Denim on Amazon

Winner of the £5,000 inaugural Gordon Burn Prize 2013