The Truth of Things
Part of the collectionThe Truth of Things→Four short, spare, powerfully moving novellas about two Yorkshire brothers — building from Brock to the devastating, Carnegie-winning Lark.
- Books4 / 4
- Arcs1
- Span2013–2019
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Anthony McGowan's four-book quartet follows Nicky and his older brother Kenny, who has learning difficulties, through a hard Yorkshire childhood of poverty, a broken family and small, fierce acts of care. In Brock the boys rescue a badger cub from baiting; in Pike a fishing trip tips into a near-tragedy; in Rook an injured bird and a first love pull at Nicky's loyalty; and in the Carnegie Medal-winning Lark a walk on the moors becomes a heartbreaking fight for survival. McGowan writes throughout in spare, plain, luminous prose that reads fast but lands hard, with dry wit and no false comfort. The books grow darker and more emotionally weighty as they go, culminating in an ending readers do not forget — but the brothers' unbreakable bond is the constant at the heart of all four.
Four short, spare, powerfully moving novellas about two Yorkshire brothers — building from Brock to the devastating, Carnegie-winning Lark.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Bittersweet
- Thought provoking
- Dark
- Gentle
Read in publication order (Brock, Pike, Rook, Lark): each stands alone, but they follow the same brothers and Lark is the emotional culmination of all three before it. Note that Lark pitches slightly older and is markedly heavier than the earlier books.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–4 · 2013–2019High sensitivity
The Truth of Things
Two Yorkshire brothers through hardship, small rescues and a final fight for survival.
The quartet tells one continuing story of brothers Nicky and Kenny. Brock opens it as Nicky saves a badger cub from a gang's baiting and the boys hide it away. Pike turns tenser and thriller-shaped when a fishing trip uncovers a dangerous local secret. Rook is warmer, its rescued bird set against Nicky's first love and his loyalty to his brother. Lark, the Carnegie Medal-winning finale, strands the boys in a blizzard on the North Yorkshire moors, forcing Kenny to find his own courage in a raw, terrifying and heartbreaking climax. Told throughout in spare, plain, unflinching prose, the sequence deepens from hardship into real loss, but the brothers' love holds it together to the end.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 10–14
- Read aloud · 10–14
- Independent · 10–14
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
High overall, and consistent.
Content notes
- Absent parent
- Animal harm
- Bullying
- Death of character
- Grief
- Illness or disability
- Poverty or hardship
- Violence
About the author