A gritty new work of fiction set on the mean streets of West Lothian is set to have readers gripped.
Fictional Scottish crime thriller called The Lost Boys of Ladywell is penned by Aidan Martin and illustrated by Mark Deans.
The pair are lifelong friends and co-founders of The Scheme – Livingston, a charity that helps people and their families recover from addiction and other trauma.
And Aidan says although the book is a work of fiction, he has drawn inspiration from his time growing up in Ladywell and references real-life West Lothian places like the iconic RATT nightclub.
Released by indie outfit Guts Publishing, the book is based on the lad culture of the early 2000s and follows the story of four Scottish lads from the scheme who live for drugs and trance music.
Conflicts turn to disaster during a RATT rave and Phil goes missing. As the remaining lost boys – Nathan, Mikey and Lucas – search for Phil they are pulled into an underworld of crime, drug debts, addictions, loyalties and betrayals.
Aidan spoke about his tough upbringing in the shadow of violence and addiction in Livingston in his memoir, Euphoric Recall.
The book was widely acclaimed, receiving awards from Authors’ Foundation and K Blundell Trust.
He explains: “The only thing folk tell me they wish there was more of in Euphoric Recall, was a deeper dive into the ‘mental years’ which is why I focused my new work on the crazy years.
“So the reader can come inside and see for themselves. I have mums of sons message me every week trying to understand why their children grow up and get into those lifestyles. I get asked the same thing by politicians, media, and I get asked to give talks to explain it all.
“So honestly, I just decided to write like Hunter S Thompson and Charles Bukowski (specifically like in Post Office) and to keep Gabor Maté in mind and that’s where my new work landed.”
He continued: “Long before phrases like toxic masculinity were mainstream, scheme lads like me were trapped in a lad culture.
“None of us expected to see our thirties. To outsiders these lifestyles were extreme. I use creative fiction to take the reader inside.”
Aidan recently hosted an STV documentary called Let’s Talk About Trauma.
Mark Deans is an artist, musician, and co-founder / co-CEO of the lived experience recovery organisation, The Scheme Livi based in Livingston.
Mark met Aidan in Ladywell as a child, spending countless days playing football and watching wrestling as they grew into manhood together.
Mark started making art in 2019 as a second creative outlet alongside his music. Alongside Aidan at The Scheme, they facilitate art workshops to help those in their community.
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