875. How Late It Was, How Late

How Late It Was, How Late
James Kelman
1994
Around 390 pages

Another James Kelman novel, another story written entirely in Scottish dialect that is extremely hard to digest for outsiders. I don't think that's a bad thing in itself. Not every book has to be for everybody, and I'm sure it's exciting for Scottish people who so rarely see their slang or culture on page. Unfortunately, I am not Scottish, which is a bummer as I would love to live in a country where the national animal is a unicorn. Anyway, this was pretty inscrutable to me.

Basically, Sammy is brutally beaten by the police, and must come to terms with the permanent damage done to his body. I don't think a glossary would be entirely out of place here, although his favorite word is "fuck" and that's universal.

This novel won the 1994 Booker Prize, which made Kelman the first Scottish author to win. One judge described the Booker decision as a "disgrace" and said: "I'm really unhappy. Kelman is deeply inaccessible for a lot of people. I am implacably opposed to the book. I feel outmaneuvered." Well, at least she took it like a champ. I get both sides of the argument, it is inaccessible, but a book shouldn't have to be in the perfect King's English and written by an Oxford grad to be worthy of a prize.

So a book that is not for me, but never claimed to be. Not mad about it, but happy to move on!

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Among the critics of the novel were Kingsley Amis, world renowned buzzkill.

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