The Tongue She Speaks

Glasgow. 2007. Emo culture is thriving, but fifteen-year-old Cathy O’Kelly is not. Bullied out of primary, she’s finally got a new start at the big school after two years being taught at home by her Mammy. She dreams of earning the marks she needs to be a proper Scots writer and avoiding getting on the wrong side of the bams. Again. Little does she know that the worst bullies of all don’t wear tracksuits… An intimate tour of Cathy’s conflicted inner world and budding friendships. Grae’s second novel brings noughties nostalgia face-to-face with Glaswegian grit as her heroine struggles to create space for her writing dreams in working-class life. She must either find ways to manage her mental health struggles – ‘the darkness’, ‘the bad maggots’, the stigma of going to ‘the heid doactor’ – or let the fear and flashbacks drown out the tongue she speaks. Can a chance encounter with a punk band save her? Or will a different kind of bully push Cathy further into herself? Glasgow. 2007. Emo culture is thriving, but fifteen-year-old Cathy O’Kelly’s world couldn’t be more insular. It’s her first day at high school. Bullied out of primary, she’s got a new start after two years being taught at home by her Mammy. She’s dreaming of getting the marks she needs to be a proper Scots writer and avoiding getting on the wrong side of the neds. Again. But her bully doesn’t wear a tracksuit. Mark’s a third year in an oversized hoodie and Converse. A poet. Or so he wants to be. When he learns of Cathy’s dream, he’s makes it his mission to tear it down — and win her admiration. Will a chance encounter with a punk band at Glasgow’s seminal underage club save her? Or will a different kind of bully push Cathy further into herself?

Pagina's: 304, Paperback, Luath Press Ltd