Jon McGregor has twice been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. This story is taken from his new collection, “This Isn’t The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You,” published on 2nd February by Bloomsbury. Many of the stories in the book feature men who are failing in some way. McGregor explains, “I’m intrigued by the failure of many men to adapt to adulthood, and by the inarticulacy they often bring to these failures. The gap between a man’s description of his situation and its obvious reality can be both horrifying and illuminating. It can also sometimes be bleakly funny.”

They told him he wasn’t allowed on the school premises. They didn’t even use the word allowed to start off with, they just said they thought it would be better if he didn’t come in. Better for everyone concerned is what they said. Only that didn’t even feel