“In Ireland history isn’t written. It’s remembered,” says Sammy from Belfast. As he moves from a career of minor crime to IRA member and major crime in the 1970s he tells what he remembers. The struggle was “Making superheroes of criminals. Making gods of murderers. Making legends of men.”

This is a personable book. Sammy and his friends are personable guys. Heinous crimes against people are leavened with black humor. As the atrocities pile up Sammy copes by delving into periods of comic book fantasy. His friends die. His mother dies – his own fault, and he is questioning it all. And trying to forget. ( )

The Gordon Burn Prize is one of the more interesting awards out there and, being one of the cornerstones of the Durham Book Festival, it is certainly one of the most enjoyable evenings in the literary calendar. This year’s winner is For the Good Times (Faber) by David Keenan. This novel is about the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 70s and the kids who ‘go rogue’ and discover the intensity and seduction of power and risk. If you want to go in hard with a novel about these times, for me this is the recent one to read rather than Anna Burns’ Milkman. As with many winners of this prize, and the late Gordon Burn’s own work, it is hard-hitting and unforgiving in its directness but has a humour that will keep you smiling as you grimace. ( )