Scabby Queen
Book description
'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph' Nicola Sturgeon
'A humane and searching story' Ian Rankin
'Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation' A.L. Kennedy
A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR * A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Three days before…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Scabby Queen as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Scabby Queen opens with the death by suicide of Clio Campbell, at different times a popstar, a political activist, a lover of life.
The book stretches back five decades to tell her story, from different perspectives and jumping around between time periods. I really love that such a complicated, strong, and uncompromising woman gets to take centre stage in a story that is both political (poll tax riots, miners’ strikes, Brexit) and personal.
From Elissa's list on Scottish reads centring working-class women.
The novel is set in modern Scotland and the wider UK, and the author paints a “state-of-the-nation” portrait of Scotland and its people. Sometimes disturbing and blunt, always with a sly joke and a smirk, this is an unflinching story about a woman struggling to find her place in a society that doesn’t fully get her. We see her struggle through an amazing life, never fully realizing how much she is loved.
From Iain's list on challenging your assumptions about Scotland.
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