Novel set in Overijssel 1961
A dramatic book set in GLASGOW
28th May 2025
This Bright Life by Karen Campbell, a dramatic book set in GLASGOW.
This Bright Life is a highly realistic portrayal of a poor, working-class suburb of the East End of Glasgow.
After the renowned Netflix series Adolescence, this novel might seem at first like a second visit to familiar territory, namely what makes a young person commit a crime. Whereas the series focuses on social media and toxic masculinity, Campbell’s gaze is fixed on disadvantage and desperation, and ultimately, pure survival.
Twelve-year-old Gerard doesn’t intend to commit murder when he leaves his home one morning, although that is very nearly the outcome. He simply attempts a mugging so that he can buy food and nappies for his baby sister while their mother lies comatose in a drug-induced stupor.
He might have got away with the crime, were it not for Claire, a recently divorced lawyer newly arrived in the area. Not only is she a witness to the crime, she also manages to save the life of the elderly victim Margaret by fishing her false teeth from her mouth.
As Gerard, a boy consumed with guilt and bravado in equal measure, navigates the bewildering world of police and social workers, a world he can scarcely make any sense of, thanks to those teeth, Margaret, an isolated widow, and Claire become acquainted. Three wonderfully crafted characters are put under the spotlight, and through them, Glasgow’s East End. I could see the streets, smell the stench in places.
Campbell uses a skillful mix of dialogue and action to evoke the confusion of emotion and thought that beset the main characters and their circles. It’s a style that goes with the story and the setting, a style that brings the reader up close to the action. The use of Scottish dialect may confuse some readers but I wouldn’t let that put you off.
Aside from the warmth and the wit, what makes this novel shine is the author’s uncanny knack for getting deep inside the mind of Gerard. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a rich understanding of the realities of Britain’s underbelly and how it affects children, and anyone who enjoys social realism. It is abundantly clear that the author knows her turf.
GUEST REVIEW BY ISOBEL BLACKTHORN
Isobel is a prolific Australian novelist. She writes both contemporary/literary, thrillers and dark fiction. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and via her website.
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