Edward's Chessboard

Book excerpt: Meet Edward. Also known as Scary Eddy. He's got no parents, no siblings, and has always been on his own. He's bright and ambitious, but he's got anger issues that get in his way. Handling the money for his gang, the Pretoria City Boys, he's looking to build his reputation and move up in rank. Maybe, then, he'll feel accepted. But things don't go according to plan: rehab, painkillers, and chess become his new day-to-day. Along with a volatile romance with one fellow patient and an anger-infused friendship with another. Is his time in rehab an opportunity to start a new life? Could he become a Grand Master of chess and escape his past? Or will he always be Scary Eddy the gangster? Edward's story isn't an easy one to stomach. Sometimes it seems like his life is nothing more than a layered cake of pain and tragedy and loss. But it isn't all bad. Edward shows us that we can learn things and make mistakes, build relationships and break them down, get better and get worse. But can he carry on like this? It's endgame for Edward and only he can choose what his last few moves will be.