Heartland, By Anthony Cartwright

"History was written by the winners," notes one character here, but this novel diligently exposes the untold stories of those who feel that they have failed. There is a former professional footballer, Rob, now a frustrated classroom assistant with a fractious relationship with the teacher: "He'd felt like asking if she knew who he was. Who he used to be, anyway." He feels as though he is watching his own life "turn to rust".

Indeed, all of these well-crafted characters struggle with their own identities, including Zubair and his brother Adnan, who has disappeared into thin air (has he become a bandit in the dusty mountains of Afghanistan?). Cartwright engagingly explores the difference between individual and group identity (he covers religion, political groups including the BNP, football teams, classroom and office politics). Those ostensibly different are shown to be much closer than they think, as all struggle with the shaky ground beneath their feet.

As characters navigate the football pitch and the town of Dudley, this poignant novel also movingly traverses the territory of the human heart.