On Scottish Books: Gemma Armit
Notable writers and readers share five of their favorite Scottish titles.
For Volume 6 of ‘On Scottish Books’, we are joined by Gemma Armit aka Hiya Scotland. Take it away Gemma!
The following is a weird and wonderful mix of Scottish texts, including fiction, poems, and wild swimming…
1. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
If you grew up in Scotland during the 90s you definitely know the phrase “it’s shite being Scottish” from the 1996 cult classic film, Trainspotting.
This difficult yet humorous watch is based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh.
While it’s now a challenge to untangle the visuals from the film (the toilet, the bed, the baby) or unhear Lust For Life or Born Slippy while reading the text, the book is well worth a read or revisit if it’s been a while.
Set in Leith, which is pretty unrecognisable now with its artisan bakeries and craft beer pubs, the story follows a group of friends whose love for each other is dampened by their addiction to a new(ish) drug, heroin.
If you can get your eyes around the language, you’ll laugh, cry, and shake your head in disbelief.
Fans of the Trainspotting book might also like SkagBoys, the prequel, and Porno, the sequel.
2. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart
“You'll not remember the city, you were too wee, but there's dancing. All kinds of dancing” is one of the most memorable quotes from Douglas Stewart’s 2020 novel, Shuggie Bain.
Glasgow visitors can see the words painted on the side of the iconic Barrowland Ballroom.
Set in Scotland’s biggest city during the 80s, Shuggie Bain is a wee boy growing up in the tenements of post-industrial Glasgow.
He is the youngest of three kids who look after each other as best they can when their mum (Agnes), who has an alcohol addiction, can’t.
The book touches on the topics of addiction, abandonment, sobriety, sexuality, suicide, support networks, and lack of them.
Shuggie Bain is Stewart’s debut novel; fans of this novel might also like his second book, also set in Glasgow, Young Mungo.
3. One Day by David Nicholls
During the summer of 2009, every girl on the subway in Glasgow (where I lived) was reading One Day by David Nicholls, and you could tell exactly where in the book they were by their facial expression.
Split between Edinburgh and London, two strangers (Dexter and Emma) meet on St. Swithin's Day (July 15th) and are forever entangled in each other's lives as friends, foes, and lovers.
Their relationship is testing, often unequal, but you can’t help but root for their relationship to work…
…but you probably know all of this already because One Day was released as a Hollywood movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in 2011 and more recently as a Netflix TV show with Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall.
4. The Daft Tree by William Soutar
The Daft Tree by William Soutar is a bit of a family joke, as I was taught the poem in primary school and rehearsed it in front of my grandparents until their ears bled.
A tree's a leerie kind o' loon
Weel happit in his emerant goun
Through the saft simmer days:
But, fegs, whan baes are in the fauld,
And birds are chitterin wi' the cauld,
He coosts aff a' his claes.
Can you work out the theme?
It’s a Scots poem about changing seasons; we love to moan about the weather here, so it seems apt to include some form of creative text connected to it!
5. The Art of Wild Swimming by Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan
As a decor minimalist, I’m not usually one for coffee table books.
However, I was gifted The Art of Wild Swimming by Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan from my in-laws, and it’s not only pretty to look at but also a useful resource for those who enjoy cold-water dipping, or “dooking,” as we call it here.
Deacon and Allan invite a variety of wild swimmers from all over Scotland to share their favourite outdoor swimming spots.
BIO
Gemma is an award-winning content creator. You can follow her Scotland travels on social media and book a trip-planning consultation call at Hiya Scotland.
Gemma also captures weddings and events and helps small businesses create content for their social media channels at Let’s Do It Creative / Instagram.
Thank you so much Gemma! And thank you all for reading. Stay tuned for future installments of ‘On Scottish Books’!
You might also enjoy:
My Scottish Bookshop Directory and Scottish Wanderlust Book Club :)
Lilly
 | A guest post by
|
I’ve been meaning to watch Trainspotting since it came out; I didn’t know it was a book, too!
Thanks so much for asking me to put this together, Lilly! I hope your readers find it helpful.