Novel set in Scotland plus author QA

• Book: Fishnet
• Location: Glasgow
• Author: Kirstin Innes

Review Author: tripfiction

Kirstin Innes’ debut novel Fishnet explores the world of the sex worker in Scotland through the story of two sisters, Fiona and Rona. It won the Guardian Not the Booker Prize in 2015, so you might feel a little trepidation as you embark on it. And so you should. This is a challenging read.

If, like me, you begin by holding the opinion that all prostitution is exploitative, even abusive and that all sex workers are victims, rest assured that Innes isn’t going to leave you with your preconceptions. She knows her stuff, having spent years studying the Scottish sex industry, speaking to sex workers and following their online blogs. The feisty sex workers in Fishnet protest about the moves in the Scottish Parliament to completely criminalise the purchasers of sex, and Innes makes the point very powerfully that this, instead of protecting sex workers, will actually endanger them by driving the whole sex industry underground.

As you follow Fiona in her quest to discover what has happened to her sister, Rona, when she walked out on the whole family six years previously, Innes challenges you on a lot of other fronts too. Fiona discovers that Rona has been working as a prostitute and this sets her off on a quest to investigate the Scottish sex industry. In the process of this, she learns a few things and so do we. She learns that a lot of the women involved in this world are anything but victims; they are tough and strong and ultimately in control. She busts some myths along the way too – like the idea that most men who use the services of a sex worker hate women. Rather, she shows us that a lot of them are just looking for a little warmth and intimacy. Innes forces the reader to consider the nature of many sexual encounters which fall outside the area of prostitution and to compare these with prostitute/client encounters and you are left with the distinct impression that the latter are often more honest and tender than the former.

This book is a real page turner and it’s not because the plot is strong, for it isn’t, but rather because, like Fiona, you just want to keep on finding out more about this life, more about how people get involved and why. The characterisation is masterful; Fiona isn’t always likeable but she is a very believable character and Innes makes you care about her, whilst simultaneously being irritated by her. It would be impossible, too, to read this novel without admiring the characters of many of the sex workers.  Innes’ is really good, too, with the Scottish vernacular and there are scenes that are so vivid, heart-warming and entertaining that they stay fixed in the mind, like the Scottish Union of Sex Workers meeting where the smug Claire Buchanan is so pleasingly dealt with by the plain speaking Helen.

Ultimately, this is the kind of book that will change the way you think. It’s not always a comfortable read, in that it constantly forces you to reassess your views and even perhaps even look back over your own sexual experiences with a more critical eye.

This review first appeared on our blog, where we also chat to the author

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