Delighted to be with you today for my turn on the Blog Tour for the wonderful THE GREEN INDIAN PROBLEM by JADE LEAF WILLETTS.
My thanks to the author, and publisher for putting the tour together and letting me be part of it all!
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Green Indian Problem by Jade Leaf Willetts
ISBN: 9781913724528
Paperback • 208pp • £10
30th March 2022
Set in the valleys of South Wales at the tail end of Thatcher’s Britain, The Green Indian Problem is the story of Green, a seven year-old with intelligence beyond his years – an ordinary boy with an extraordinary problem: everyone thinks he’s a girl.
Green sets out to try and solve the mystery of his identity, but other issues keep cropping up – God, Father Christmas, cancer – and one day his best friend goes missing, leaving a rift in the community and even more unanswered questions. Dealing with deep themes of friendship, identity, child abuse and grief, The Green Indian Problem is, at heart, an all-too-real story of a young boy trying to find out why he’s not like the other boys in his class.
Longlisted for the Bridport Prize (in the Peggy Chapman-Andrews category)
Jade Leaf Willetts is a writer from Llanbradach, a strange, beautiful village in South Wales. He writes about extraordinary characters in ordinary worlds and has a penchant for unreliable narrators. The Green Indian Problem, his first novel, was longlisted for the 2020 Bridport Prize in the Peggy Chapman-Andrews category. Jade’s poetry has been published by Empty Mirror, PoV Magazine and Unknown Press. His short story, ‘An Aversion to Popular Amusements’ was shortlisted for the inaugural Janus Literary Prize. He is currently working on a coming of age follow-up to The Green Indian Problem.
Resource links:
Author’s website: https://jadeleafwilletts.com
Purchase links:
Renard Press: https://renardpress.com/books/the-green-indian-problem/
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-green-indian-problem/j-l-willetts/9781913724528
Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-green-indian-problem/9781913724528
Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Green-Indian-Problem-by-J-L-Willetts-author/9781913724528
MY REVIEW
Don’t you just love it when you discover a character that you take to your heart immediately?! That is what happened when I started reading the story of Green – a 7 year old boy who is very very smart, but disappointed by those around him who think he’s a girl! He just wants to discover who he is and that isn’t easy when society keeps pushing you in a direction where you don’t feel comfortable.
Green is a switched on little boy, and a typical kid who questions everything. He wants answers and he isn’t afraid to ask questions. His parents live apart and he has a strong dislike for Dennis, the boyfriend of his mum as he sees the way he treats her and knows it is very wrong.
While Green is dealing with home issues, he’s also dealing with pressures at school and all that society throws his way expecting him to be someone he isn’t. Set amongst the backdrop of the 80’s, I loved all the retro references and it really sets the scene perfectly. And anyone who loves Ghostbusters is fine by me!!
When his best friend from school goes missing, Green is plunged into a dark time in his life where he just wants to find out the truth of what happened and uses his inquisitive mind to good use to get some answers and you just can’t help but be swept along with the gusto of this gutsy little boy who just wants to be himself and be accepted.
This was just an utter delight to read and really made you feel so protective towards Green. He sees the world in very simple terms and makes you wish that more people could see things his way!! Wonderful!
★★★★★
Books and Me! 