Buddha Da

• Book: Buddha Da
• Location: Glasgow
• Author: Anne Donovan

Each chapter in this book is from the viewpoint of one of the three main characters – Jimmy the “Da” of the title, his wife and his 12 year old daughter. All of the novel is written in a Glaswegian dialect which, for me, really made the characters come alive as I very much heard them aloud in my head. I imagine if you weren’t so familiar with a Scottish accent and phrases that this would be a lot harder to read. I’m going to pass my copy on to someone who isn’t Scottish and will be interested to see how they get on!
In terms of location, there are a few mentions of streets and places in Glasgow, but it is really the voices which set the story so firmly there. The story is very engaging, not as a complicated plot but more as a tale of everyday life for the family. I felt emotionally involved with the characters and what was going to happen to them right up to the end of the book.

Back to book