Grainger Street Review

Everyone's favourite book about everyone's favourite street got reviewed on the Small Press Big Mouth podcast this week.

And what a sweet review it is too, highly complementary, and importantly asking that question I've been asking myself for a while. Namely, if you haven't visited or lived in or near Newcastle, does the book have the same impact or meaning? Let me know if you've read it and you've never set foot in the city. When we were making Nightbus, Chris and I had the view that as long as the establishing shots were rooted in some sort of reality, that would give the comic the element of realism and credibility that it needed, and any references to specifics would be a nice Easter Egg for the locals. Not essential to the story, but an extra layer. Grainger Street is most definitely about Newcastle, not fictional characters, but the city itself. However, it's also not about Newcastle at all, it's about my experiences, memories and thoughts along the walk up a street where a lot of stuff's happened to me. So, with that in mind, does the setting detract from the intention?