Eugene Burnside joined The Firm before he left school, running drugs. Clever and ambitious, Eugene’s now 28 and definitely going places because he’s come to the attention of the Faron Brothers, and the Brothers are The Firm. And promotion couldn’t come a moment to soon for Eugene if it means he no longer has to deal with middleman Mal Shifter and his two old aunts. Or those dogs. The lot of them give him the creeps. If Eugene’s gangland career is going well, his personal life is not so sweet. The Burnside family moved to Wentworth Road when Eugene was a toddler. He still lives there, with his widowed mum, Gladys, and his sister Simone. The star of SweetHearts lap-dancing club, sis is doing alright too. Eugene is devoted to them both. He wished he felt the same about Simone’s six year-old son, Nero – aka the Minimonster – Eugene knows ‘disturbed’ isn’t the half of it. But evil has come to haunt the alleys and arches of North London – a sado-sexual killer has begun his grisly work – and now Eugene must fight to protect everything he holds dear and everyone he loves… Beautifully written and rich in symbolism, Sweet Gum is a thrilling, multi-layered work of contemporary fiction – a parable for our times, its vices and its virtues – by a singular literary voice.