Mark's fifteen. His friends call him Psycho. He hates school and has a burgeoning career in house-breaking. His dad left when he was just a kid, and now he's stuck on a mountain-top estate with the worst reputation in Wales. His best mate Daniels - if you can call him a mate - sniffs glue. Emma's always hanging round trying to straighten him out, and now his Mum's got a bun in the oven and rat-faced Humphries - the father - has scarpered.

Just when Mark thought things couldn't get any worse they promptly do. Is there any hope when the police come knocking and Mark is swallowed by the young offenders system? The recriminations, the child psychologists, the screws, a family crisis: it all feels too much for a young loner like Mark. There's no escape. Or is there?

Status Zero is the story of an adolescent starting from a perilous position in a society which couldn't give a shit. Provocative, moving, it is also the story of a boy becoming a man, challenged by responsibilities the action films don't tell you about.

Roger Granelli is a musician and writer. He is the author of five novels, including Crystal Spirit, Dark Edge and Resolution.