Hardback
Paperback
The stunning cover for the hardback is by Oliver Jeffers
We Used To Be Kings
Six years ago Tom’s brother died. The next day he came back.
It’s Tom and Jack’s 18th birthday, but it isn’t a cause for celebration.
For the past three years they’ve been in a home for troubled children, where Dr Smith tries to silence the voice of Jack in Tom’s head.
But Tom's already lost his brother once, he’s not going to lose him again.
And so they will have to pretend Jack has gone. Because one way or another they’ve got to get out of this place. Because Tom and Jack need to find out what happened that summer six years ago that changed everything...
We Used To Be Kings is the story of a young boy’s descent into madness following the loss of everything he knows. Set in the 1970s, it is reminiscent of unusually hot summers, pictures of Russians in space and war on our doorstep. It’s an audacious, and at times hilarious story that is ultimately heartbreaking and unforgettable.
'We Used To Be Kings is a very powerful book, written with a poignant intensity that often burns. It is one of the most touching books about madness I have ever read, and deserves a wide readership. Stewart Foster has created something very special.'
Matt Haig, author of Reasons to Stay Alive & How to Stop Time
'Fresh and original, a spare and moving tale that’s never showy but often dazzling.'