Local author, JJ Jackson has published his first novel: The Quiz Crew. Barrow Voice asked the Barrow Book Lovers Club to review it.
The Quiz Crew is a collection of 15 chapters each focusing on one individual and their circumstances with the common link being that they all tackle the same 15 newspaper quiz questions and post their results online. Each snapshot, taken on the last Friday in August 2025, captures the lives, locations, family situations and quiz involvement of each participant. They are a group, connected across the miles by their quiz participation.
Every chapter reveals a different situation. Some tell a story of a short period of time in the life of an individual, some definitely appear to be offering advice through a lived experience, some are uplifting, some less so. The ones that stayed in my mind relate to: a woman trying to cope with her adult live-in brother; an elderly man coming to terms with care home life and the intrusion into his life by another resident; the difficulties of a couple who retire at different times with different expectations; the search for people you can call your ‘tribe’; the experience of a grown child handling the physical demise of a parent. Each chapter is about 20 pages long, just enough for one reading session and best read and enjoyed as separate stories rather than as a whole book.
The stories illustrate the variety of quiet human stories unfolding across communities linked by online activity. They will very much appeal to the curious who enjoy being able to glimpse into other people’s everyday lives. They are written in a relaxed and simple style. Look upon this as a set of short stories. An unusual book but a ‘novel’ idea for a book structure which I can imagine being used for other ‘through the keyhole’ projects.
Thank you to JJ Jackson for providing the Barrow Book Lovers Club with a copy of his book.
The Quiz Crew is available in Barrow Community Library and on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quiz-Crew-JJ- Jackson/dp/B0GCHQNKXL
Catherine Holmes