Off the Mark

Mark Barker leaves an all boys' Grammar School in 1965, having absolutely no experience of girls nor the world as a whole.

The scene is set in the first chapter by his amusing recollections of the time he spent at school where the staff were a curious mixture of sadists and perverts. We also get an insight into life in the sixties for a working class family in a small Norfolk town.

Later, Mark's first day in his first job is fraught with uncomfortable experiences. Every mistake is taken to heart, but he is a quick learner and soon establishes himself. The story reminds us of life before computers, calculators and modern photocopiers. Mark had a reputation at school as being a bit of a joker and he seeks to establish a similar reputation at work; so the story is littered with comical incidents.

He loves 60's soul music and enjoys playing football. He is also a very shy youth who lacks confidence in his ability to attract girls and ends up forming attractions to all the wrong girls for all the wrong reasons.

His unusual encounter with the mini-skirted Blodwyn forces him to question his own sexuality and desires. He meets the lovely Pauline, whom he considers to be the most beautiful girl he has ever met, yet he falls for the plain and waspish Karen who breaks his heart by her total lack of compassion.

He tries to look beyond Karen to find a girlfriend, but every time he gets close to getting a date, something goes wrong and his thoughts return to Karen. Unsuccessful blind dates only serve to exacerbate the loneliness of this sensitive teenager as he scrapes through to manhood and attempts to get Off the Mark.