Percy Phinn is trapped between what he is and what he might have been. Born and raised in Glasgow’s tenements, he dreams of poetry, books, and a quieter life—away from the noise, the grind, the early mornings and the late nights that define his world. But life in working-class Glasgow is stubborn. One mistake, one missed chance, and escape seems always just out of reach.
In The Boy Who Wanted Peace, George Friel weaves a portrait of yearning: for silence, for respect, for purpose. Through Percy’s eyes, we see the world of slum youth, the weight of family, the demands of survival—and always the longing for something different. This is a novel not just of class and poverty, but of the dreamer’s heart: that urge to be more than one’s circumstances, to find peace even when the city clamors, to make beauty between the cracks. Friel’s writing does not soften reality—it shows it with compassion, humor, and an unflinching eye.