On my shelf since:
I thought this book was a hand-me-down from my friend and pal, SH, way back when (early 90s again), but now I’m not so sure. This doesn’t seem like a book she would have loved so much that she thought I must have it. (Turns out this is true. She doesn’t remember this book or giving it to me!)
My copy’s origin story:
(Signed 1st Edition Hardback 1992) Kind of a fancy edition. Comes in its own box, with the signature on a separate sheet that I have been using as bookmark. Also, this is the book I’ve been reading while on the stationary bike and holding open with a stick. Is that bad?
Why not until now:
Even though I trust SH’s opinion on many things, I just couldn’t get excited about this book. Definitely thought it was gonna be about birds!
Review:
I didn’t have much of anything bad to say about my last book (you know, except that one big thing), but with this one I just don’t really have much of anything good or bad to say at all. It was…fine. Sorry SH. But then again, when I asked you recently if you remembered even giving me this book you didn’t, so maybe you won’t take this personally.
The story was fine: Coming of age and family mysteries unfurl with much effort and many missteps on the part of our mostly inept and reluctant but still scrappy hero.
Setting was pretty good: Back and forth between Glasgow and other exotic Scottish locales.
Characters were okay: Some quirky, others a bit blandly typical. The main (male) character has plenty of angst and the female characters, even the smart ones, are all game for plenty of sex. Reads much like an older writer writing about what he remembers/wishes his own youth was like. (Let me check something…okay so the author was 38 when he wrote this book about a bunch of twenty-somethings.) Killed off quite a few along the way, so that was something.
Writing was good: generally well written, engaging, strong voice, clipped along and not too wordy but still clever enough with the language and the turns of phrase.
Structure was the best thing about it: story was told quite disjointedly. Mostly linear main storyline all mixed up with various blasts from the past sprinkled throughout with no warning. Really good for my brain trying to keep it all straight.
Have I said anything of substance about this book yet? Not really. Wikipedia calls it a Bildungsroman (such a cool word) and they summarize it thusly: “Prentice McHoan’s preoccupation with death, sex, his relationship with his father, unrequited love, sibling rivalry, a missing uncle, cars, alcohol and other intoxicants, and God, against the background of the Scottish landscape.” This makes it sound only a little better than it was.
(Finished book approximately Dec 23, 2025 but I didn’t write it down so who knows)
Payoff (pages per stars):
501/2 = 250.5 pages per star. That’s a lot of pages of meh
(Trying out other metrics for the mathy among us, and will take suggestions):
- Various explosions: approximately 1 in every 100 pages
- Dead friends/relatives: ditto
Misc Ratings (Out of 5):
- Inconvenience of reading this book while exer-cycling and holding it open with a stick while I pedaled: 4
- Anything of substance to say: 0
Off The Shelf 
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