''GB84'' is a 2004 novel by

David Peace David Peace (born 1967) is an English writer. Best known for his UK-set novels Red Riding Quartet (1999–2002), '' GB84'' (2004), ''The Damned Utd'' (2006), and '' Red or Dead'' (2013), Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novel ...

, set in the United Kingdom during the 1984-85 miners' strike.

Plot

The novel is largely based on factual events and follows two main characters: Terry Winters (based on

Roger Windsor Roger Windsor was chief executive of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) between 1983 and 1989, including during the 1984 miners' strike. He later moved to France and then to Herefordshire. Windsor was accused of damaging the image of the u ...

), chief executive of the National Union of Mineworkers; and Stephen Sweet (based on David Hart), an advisor to the Thatcher government. The novel refers to contemporary events including the murder of

Hilda Murrell Hilda Murrell (3 February 1906 – on or before 24 March 1984) was a British rose grower, naturalist, diarist and campaigner against nuclear power and nuclear weapons. She was abducted and found murdered five miles from her home in Shropshire ...

, the Battle of Orgreave, the involvement of the police and MI5, and the NUM's links with the Soviet Union and Libya.

Structure and style

Each chapter begins with "day by day" accounts from two striking miners, Martin and Peter, written in short conversational sentences. The rest of each chapter is written in a more standard style.

Reception

The book was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature in 2005.

References

{{reflist Novels by David Peace Novels set in Yorkshire Novels set in Nottinghamshire Novels about mining