Stylish short stories which give views of Manchester by white, mainly male, working class and young voices which really ring true. But be warned - it was only the very black humour that prevented me from getting completely depressed.
Extract
Danny sat down on a bench, looked dazedly at the early morning sky, the clouds blue ink in Guinness, and sank back onto the bench to sleep. Before he slipped away he felt himself grabbed by the coat collar, lifted to his feet and punched in the stomach. He fell over, bounced off the side of the bin and landed on the muddy grass.
Parallels
The Good Times by James Kelman
Escalator by Michael Gardiner
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe