Gabriel

Gabriel, also known as Snoopz to his gang friends, is the first person narrator and protagonist of the novel. As a young boy Gabriel grows up in South Kilburn with his mother, father, and twin brother, Danny. When Gabriel is 13 years old, a gang of local boys intimidates him on his way home from school. When he tells his parents about the threatening encounter, they ask why he did not run away. Frustrated that they expect him to be a weak victim, Gabriel decides never to be seen as a victim again. His resolve leads him to become involved with the South Killy gang. He moves out of his parents' flat when he is 17, and moves in with a friend and fellow gang member, Uncle T. His life with Uncle T at Blake Court, embeds Gabriel in the life of the streets. He learns from the people around...