Nick's first novel, Memorabilia, was published in spring 2011. It's a fictional account of a tug-of-war over a Norwich City football programme which is set mainly in East Anglia in 2010.
The book is a great read for any Norwich fan, anyone who knows the city, and generally speaking, any man over 30.
What they said about Memorabilia:
"Memorabilia is his first novel and an enjoyable trawl through the avenues and alleyways of British sport, with a transatlantic twist supplied at the end.
"Its milieu is East Anglia, but more generally, the amorphous world of middle and working class English culture - most of the action takes place in the pubs and housing estates of provincial towns. "The dual narrative revolves around two main characters - wide boy wheeler dealer Alex Taylor, a man who makes his living from betting on sporting events, and Jerry Sands, whose son died when he was in his twenties and who lives a solitary existence, yearning for his past. The two men interact edgily and it would be wrong to describe this as a friendship - Taylor in particular has little in the way of positive characteristics and seems intent on little else beyond making a cheap buck, morality frequently tossed to the four winds.
"I enjoyed the mention of stars of the past and Canaries' fans will relish hearing once again of Louie Donowa, Dale Gordon and Ruel Fox, incidentally picked by our own William Abbs in his favourite XI for Two Footed Tackle recently.
"The action takes place in 2010, with the Norfolk club cruising to promotion from League 1 and the World Cup gracing South African turf - but the contemporary setting is heavily laced with memories of the past. In all, it's an at times touching story that does not become too histrionic, although I found the latter sections involving a washed up American football star less satisfying than the first two thirds of the book. Richards should be commended on the achievement of penning a decent sized, highly readable novel and let's hope it won't be the first such effort to emerge from the blogosphere."
The Two Unfortunates blog
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| From Eastern Daily Press, July 23, 2011 |
“Memorabilia steers clear of the clichéd image of collectors - the geekiness of young lads gathering coins and stamps before growing up to become train spotters - and instead brings into focus that some chase and ultimately hoard nostalgic items for a much more serious reason. There are few people on this planet who have not collected something at sometime. Before letting the items go. And then regretting at a later time in life that they had not been kept. The generational comparisons drawn in Memorabilia are clever. For the younger man, it is merely business. But as Jerry Sands gets drawn into the madcap wheeling dealing world of Alex the story revolves around which emotion will win through.........personal need or money. Something has to give because neither character collects for a hobby.
“Football has long provided much opportunity for the accumulation of memorabilia, whether it be programmes, soccer star stickers from the seventies, or cigarette cards from the very earliest decades of the organised game. For many fans, it is a nice add on to the actual watching of a match - something to hold on to on winters nights or balmy evenings during the close season. Memorabilia the novel will provide reminiscence for people connected with Norwich - the fine city and the football team - both of which provide a large thread of the story. As does the wider East Anglian region, and American football in the shape of the Chicago Bears. And it does leave you questioning the real motives for your own collecting habits. Whatever the subject or interest, your prized items are likely to now be found in cardboard boxes at the bottom of a wardrobe or under the bed. I know mine are, and it has left me thinking.”
Sing Up The River End blog
