Soldiers by Frederick Turner
Two sides. One struggle.Abdul and Darren grow up in the same industrial backwater, each with his own set of problems. For one of them it's racism and the misery of displacement, for the other, it's life on welfare with a mother prone to manic depression. Their paths converge in one charged moment during boyhood and seem unlikely to cross again. But time can pull all kinds of tricks. Battered by their respective upbringings, Darren is persuaded by a suave recruiting officer into the British Army while Abdul meets a charismatic but extremist imam and elects to follow the path of jihad. Perhaps, on the sun-baked streets of a Syrian conflict zone, their paths will cross again.
Soldiers is an account of what drives these two young men to take up arms and do what they do - right down to the story's shocking conclusion.
About the author
Fred Turner is an author born and living in Stockport. He lovingly describes the town as a collection of people and buildings. He graduated with a degree in History in 2012, commenting that the experience of learning about past injustices gave him a unique and historical perspective into his own uselessness. Since then he has worked in a variety of charities in Greater Manchester, supporting people with their mental health, people who are homeless and migrants in the area.
It is the injustice sanctioned by the state that gives Fred his desire to write. He explains that his fiction is an outlet to draw attention to the misery created by authorities and power holders. His stories are inspired by the voiceless experience of people oppressed, ignored and powerless.