Kissing the Rain by Kevin Brooks

AZ: "In Moo Nelson's life it rains every day - a constant rain of spite and derision - and every day he walks through it all with his eyes down, wishing things were different. But knowing they're not. His only refuge is the bridge, where he spends his time thinking and dreaming and watching the world go by. Until the night he witnesses a car-chase - and a murder...Or does he? What is the truth, and who is it for? The police? The gangsters? The lawyers? The bullies at school? Moo must decide: between truth and lies, loneliness and loyalty, weakness and strength. And he must do it soon...Kissing the Rain is a story about the unique confusions of being a teenager: the turmoil of emotions, the complexity of relationships, the inner world of feelings, and how to express them. More than anything, though, the story is Moo Nelson - his mind, his body, his words, his truth"

"Kevin Brooks is a proper writer. He never lets you stop thinking. Caught in the brilliant dialogue and tense situations, his characters fumble and stumble with real-life dillemmas, just like us. But for them the threats are frightening and all too close. No easy endings, no bland half-truths - Kevin is the real thing" (Barry Cunningham, publisher)

The 'rain' is the verbal abuse that overweight Moo Nelson endures every day, keeping his head down like an umbrella. He witnesses an act of violence and, in his own awkward badly spelt speak, tells of his life where getting through each day is an achievement. I was there and no, adults had no idea.