Overview

The Young Team follows Azzy Williams growing up on a housing scheme in North Lanarkshire, where gang loyalty, violence, drink and drugs shape daily life. The story tracks his teenage years into early adulthood as bravado gives way to addiction, regret and moments of painful clarity. It is a close look at how a young man tries to survive and find meaning in an environment that offers very few safe exits.

Voice & Atmosphere

We were struck by how immediate the voice feels. Graeme Armstrong writes in Scots dialect throughout, and once the rhythm settles in, it pulls you straight into Azzy’s head. The writing is raw, sharp, and often darkly funny. Clubs, streets, flats and bus stops are described with a blunt realism that makes the world feel cramped, loud and constantly on edge.

Characters

Azzy is a difficult but compelling narrator. He is loyal, angry, insecure and often reckless, and Armstrong never softens those edges. The group around him, including Deco, Christy and Liam, shows different ways of coping with the same pressures. Family figures, especially Azzy’s mother, bring emotional grounding and remind us what is at stake beneath the bravado.

Themes

The novel digs into class, masculinity, addiction and the pull of belonging. It shows how violence and friendship can become tangled, and how language itself becomes a marker of identity and survival. There is a constant tension between staying loyal to where you come from and wanting something different, even when you do not know what that might look like.

What Worked

• Strong, authentic voice: the dialect feels natural and rooted in lived experience.
• Emotional honesty: the book never excuses behaviour but always seeks to understand it.
• Clear sense of place: the setting shapes every choice the characters make.

Minor Quibbles

• The Scots language may take time to adjust to if you are unfamiliar with it.
• The later sections slow slightly as reflection replaces action.

Final Thoughts

We found this to be a powerful and compassionate novel that gives voice to lives often ignored, without ever turning away from the damage left behind.

Rating: ★★★★½☆ (4.5/5)