By Margaret McDonald (author)
"An astonishing debut that shows love can be so much more than blood, and even from darkest places hope can and does exist."
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June 2024 Debut of the Month
Finlay and Banjo have both grown up in care, once as close as brothers, now they don’t speak at all. Finlay has recently aged out of the care system and has just started a nursing degree; but without a safety net and completely alone in the world, writing essays comes second to keeping his head above water.
Banjo has just been placed with yet another set of foster parents and is starting yet another new school, unsurprisingly he’s full of anger and fear. As both boys struggle with impending adulthood and uncertain futures, will the hope of new friends, the pain of past trauma and the possibility of future love, help them find each other again?
Raw and unflinchingly honest, Glasgow Boys will make you fall in love with its vulnerable main characters, and make you want to scream at the injustices some young people face. McDonald writes with authenticity and a beauty that is startingly, especially for a debut author. Her nuanced depiction of the care system and the reality of a life without foundations is a lesson in empathy building.
The powerful impact that a hug has on boys starved of physical affection is heartbreaking to read, whilst Banjo’s delight at having a photo of himself for the first time makes you want to weep for all he deserves but has never had. This is the type of skilful character development that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next.
As readers we are occasionally lucky enough to read a book that is not just good, or even great, but so strikingly beautiful that it irreversibly slightly changes who we are and will live on forever in our hearts. Glasgow Boys is one such book. Right now, I’m deeply envious of all those readers who still have the pleasure of meeting Finlay and Banjo for the first time, and bracing my heart for my own imminent reread.
Exceptional in every way, this is a book that you want to consume whole, but also linger over. I predict great things and many accolades for Glasgow Boys . Perfect for fans of Brian Conaghan and resolutely not to be missed.
A striking debut exploring the power of identity, community and the Scottish working class. This coming-of-age story is an incisive look at young masculinity and the way even the most fraught childhood is not without hope.
Read the full description
Neither Finlay or Banjo can remember the last time they had a hug.
Against all odds, 18-year-old Finlay has begun his nursing degree at Glasgow University. But coming straight from the care system means he has no support network. How can he write essays, focus on his nursing placement and stop himself from falling in love when he's struggling to even feed himself?
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Banjo is trying to settle into his new foster family and finish high school, desperate to hold down his job and the people it contains. But his anger and fear keep boiling over, threatening his already uncertain future.
Underpinning everything is what happened three years ago in their group care home, when Finlay and Banjo were as close as brothers until they stopped speaking. If these boys want to keep hold of the people they love, they have to be able to forgive one another. More than this, they must find a way to forgive themselves.
' Glasgow Boys is tenderness itself, a song to love and friendship...Margaret McDonald is a terrific new talent and I encourage you to buy this novel for everyone who makes you smile.' - Andrew O'Hagan author of Mayflies
'A writer who possesses that rare ability to capture pining and tenderness, hope and loss, as if you re written your own heart written upon the page.' - Non Pratt author of Every Little Piece of My Heart
'Hopeful, often painful and ultimately joyful, Glasgow Boys is that rare novel...a beautifully told story and a stunning debut.' - Simon James Green author of Boy Like Me
Margaret McDonald is a Scottish author from Glasgow. She is published in the disability-focused magazine Breath and Shadow as well as the prose and poetry magazines Bandit Fiction, Bubble Lit, In Parentheses, and The Manifest Station. Margaret worked for the NHS after shielding for a year, during which time she finished her Masters in English literature from Glasgow University with Distinction. She also has a First Class BA (Hons) from Strathclyde University, where she studied writing.
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Glasgow Boys and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Glasgow Boys features in the following genres: Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for Young Adults, Gritty Reads, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Glasgow Boys was written by Margaret McDonald and published by Faber & Faber
Glasgow Boys has 343 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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