Nofel yn cofnodi pedwar diwrnod ym mywyd gŵr ifanc mewn tref yn ne Cymru. Mae'n cofnodi siwrnai drwy dafarndai, ystafelloedd gwely a safleoedd adeiladu. Cyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1993.

A novel recording four days in the life of a young man in a valley town in south Wales. It is an odyssey through pubs, bedrooms and building sites. It is a bitterly intelligent and gruesomely funny journey. First published in 1993.

The title says it all, really. Apart from drinking lager, there isn’t much else to our hero Lewis's life, as he grinds out an existence in the Welsh valleys. It's a sort of modern-day Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, as this angry young man labours his way through his working week, an existence alleviated only by casual sex and copious amounts of alcohol – and, of course, the odd game of rugby.

Author Lewis Davies knows his subject – the world he portrays is not pretty but it is grimly realistic. You feel the claustrophobia of our hero’s situation and the frustration Lewis feels as he tries to work out what he wants from life – and whether he can achieve it.

The fact that Work, Sex and Rugby has been reprinted three times is a sign of its success. It's an easy read – Davies doesn’t pull any punches in his description of life of beer, birds and building sites. I did find one or two descriptive passages slightly annoying – occasionally Davies uses two adjectives when just one would do. And there are grammatical errors that seem to have got through the editing process. But these are minor quibbles – Work, Sex and Rugby is enjoyable to read despite its bleak view of the world.

Kevin Ashford

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.