Hoi Polloi

The hilariously compelling memoir that was hailed as an instant classic.The first time I see drunks beat up my father Im six and standing at the bend in the stairs. I press my face against my mothers waist but with one eye I watch as they headlock him from behind at reception because hes ordered them out of his pub.Hoi Polloirecounts a childhood spent on racetracks and in bars, as the authors parents struggle to climb the social ladder. It begins in 1968 in the small town of Heritage, New Zealand. Living above the bar of his familys hotel, the young Craig is exposed to violence, drinking and murky racial politics. His parents, whom Sherborne thinks of as Winks and Heels in his eccentric personal language, decide to sell the hotel and move to Sydney, Australia which they imagine as New Zealands England, a place of boundless wealth, prestige and social opportunities.Once in Sydney, the family begins a love affair with the racing scene. Written with extraordinary sympathy and verve,Hoi Polloiis the portrait of an extraordinary childhood brutal, poignant and unforgettable.