Jeff Young takes us on a journey through the Liverpool of his childhood—down back alleys, through arcades, into vanished tenements and oyster bars, strip-tease pubs and theatres. We watch as he turns from schoolboy truant into an artist obsessed with Kafka, Terence Davies and The Fall. Along the way he conjures ghosts and puts hexes on the developers who’ve ruined the city of his dreams.

Layering memory, history and photography, this is a highly original approach to this great city. This is a journey through a Liverpool dreamscape in which Jeff Young’s personal history as a Secondary Modern kid and the life of his family, especially his sister Val who died during the writing of the book, loom large.

Jeff Young is a writer for radio, stage, television and film. He is one of BBC Radio Drama’s most acclaimed dramatists, having written over 20 broadcast plays. For television, he has written for Casualty, Doctors, Eastenders and Holby City. He has worked on many arts projects in Liverpool, including with Bill Drummond, and is currently exploring the audio archive of Anthony Burgess. His most recent work for the stage includes Bright Phoenix, the 50th anniversary production at Liverpool Everyman Theatre, and stage version of The Who’s 1973 album Quadrophenia. He is also a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the Screen School of Liverpool John Moores University.