Harshly unsentimental, this novel tells the story of the remarkable relationship between the desperate Billy, a friendless boy living in a soulless northern town, and the equally destructive, fierce kestrel, Kes, which he raises from the nest.

Harshly unsentimental, this novel tells the story of the remarkable relationship between the desperate Billy, a friendless boy living in a soulless northern town, and the equally destructive, fierce kestrel, Kes, which he raises from the nest.