Coming-of-age novel is debut for poet Robert

HE'S well known for being an acclaimed performance poet and “professor of whimsy” - and now Robert Garnham has published his debut novel.

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Robert, who lives in South Devon, saw The Neon Yak, launched on World Book Day earlier this month by Plymouth’s Stoat Books.

The Neon Yak has been described as a beautifully crafted, deeply reflective novel that captures the intensity of growing up different.

Set against the backdrop of 1980s suburbia, it follows Daniel Cooper, a boy caught between his own identity and the expectations of the world around him.

Navigating school bullies, family pressures, and the ever-present hum of motorways and distant city lights, Daniel seeks solace in books, music, and his own imagination.

As he wrestles with societal norms and his emerging self-awareness, a voice from within-personified in the glamorous and enigmatic Tina-urges him to embrace who he truly is.