Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Humor
Approximate word count: 95-100,00 words
Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
Danny Gillan’s first novel, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, was the Scottish Region winner of the Undiscovered Authors competition of 2007 and was subsequently picked up by a publisher. It has since been republished in a Kindle edition. Gillan also has a collection of short stories, A Selection of Meats and Cheeses, available for your favorite e-reader. A longtime rock star wannabe, Gillan has worked as a bartender and bar manager and currently works in the social care field, helping those with mental health issues and learning disabilities. Additionally, Gillan is an editor for Words With Jam, a magazine “for writers and readers who like words that stick.”
Description:
Thirty-three year-old Jim Cooper owns a house and has a job he hates, although it does pay the bills. An unexpected reminder of his past convinces Jim that if this is what being a grownup is like, he wants no part of it. So he quits his job, sells his house, pays off all his debts, and moves back into his parent’s home. He’s at adulthood ground-zero and taking another shot at growing up.
Appraisal:
The “coming-of-age” story is a popular story type that involves someone young (usually early twenties or younger) who has an experience that helps them move from childhood towards the adult world. Scratch is a coming-of-age-again story. It’s a story about second chances, the choices we make, and their consequences.
If this sounds deep, it is. The themes explored in Scratch are serious and the struggles Jim has are the same kind of thing all but the most charmed and decisive of us have experienced at some point. Yet Scratch doesn’t feel serious, because it is infused with humor and wit. Scratch is a serious book while being fun, instead of pretentious; a perfect combination.
FYI:
The author is Scottish. Expect slang and spelling conventions from his native country.
Format/Typo Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: ***** Five stars
6 comments:
I bought this book some time ago and it's been sitting on my TBR pile. After reading this glowing review, I'm moving it to the top!
Thanks, Al!
Hi Al, many thanks for such a positive review of Scratch, it fair made my day!
I totally agree with BigAl, I loved Scratch. I think it needs a sequel, the wit and wisdom Jim has in this book is very entertaining. I would love to see more of the wanker! Fact is, I loved all the characters in this book. Donna, you will love Scratch!
?wazithinkin
Yes, Linda, Jim is a wanker, but a likeable one. :)
I'd love to read a sequel. Danny certainly left that possibility open.
(For everyone else, you'll have to read the book to understand why Linda calls Jim a wanker.)
No, not a proper wanker, just a bit of a plank.
I loved this book, I hope this review gets it lots of sales.
Cheers
M T McGuire
I read this book years ago, and I still get misty eyed thinking of poor Jim Cooper.
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