2025 Saltire Literary Award (shortlist)
Margaret – an elderly widow who just wants to be left with her memories and her quiet, contained life.
Claire – newly divorced, downsizing into the neighbourhood and way too busy to mend a broken heart.
Gerard – a tearaway twelve-year-old who hates his name but loves his little brother and sister. Gerard is a bright kid, but trouble always follows him. No one really knows what it’s like at home; he’s used to carrying a lot on his small shoulders.
Gerard doesn’t always make good decisions. One morning, he makes a very bad one, upending not just his world, but the lives of Margaret and Claire too. Both heart-breaking and life-affirming, This Bright Life is a story of messy lives, second chances and the many hands it takes to build a boy.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Claire – newly divorced, downsizing into the neighbourhood and way too busy to mend a broken heart.
Gerard – a tearaway twelve-year-old who hates his name but loves his little brother and sister. Gerard is a bright kid, but trouble always follows him. No one really knows what it’s like at home; he’s used to carrying a lot on his small shoulders.
Gerard doesn’t always make good decisions. One morning, he makes a very bad one, upending not just his world, but the lives of Margaret and Claire too. Both heart-breaking and life-affirming, This Bright Life is a story of messy lives, second chances and the many hands it takes to build a boy.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"I love this story so much. Karen writes with such a rare and deep understanding of people and every word of her stories earns its keep. This Bright Life is dark, moving and compassionate and, just like Paper Cup, it's a story filled with hope. I think that's what I love the most about Karen's writing: it makes you feel hopeful, like a handrail in the dark. I adore it." - Joanna Cannon
"Three vulnerable people, thrown together by an accident. In this compelling and heartrending novel, Karen Campbell's skilful and sensitive narration takes us into their worlds, sharing their pain and joy. The setting is authentic, the characters fully alive: the message is one of hope in human compassion and the healing power of love." - Anne Donovan
"Karen Campbell captures all the strengths and frailties of our humanity in gloriously rich and evocative prose. This Bright Life is a masterpiece. I adored it." - Carole Hailey
"This Bright Life is a moving, haunting portrait of childhood and the jagged reflections of one tiny action in the kaleidoscope of humanity. Karen Campbell captures the voice of 12-year-old Gerard with poignant accuracy and her words paint pictures with the touch of an old master. Ultimately life-affirming, this gritty novel will take you to dark places, but it's one beautiful, uplifting journey." - Janice Hallett
"Karen Campbell finds lives that can fall between the cracks, and holds them up to the light of her clear, compassionate writing. Wee Gerard is yet another one of her brilliant creations - so real you can hear him breathing, feel his hurt and frustration alongside him." - Kirstin Innes
"This story of the fragility of life will break your heart but don't worry, it will mend it again in the most beautiful way, reminding you of the indomitable nature of the human spirit. A novel full of compassion and hope." - Elissa Soave
"Three vulnerable people, thrown together by an accident. In this compelling and heartrending novel, Karen Campbell's skilful and sensitive narration takes us into their worlds, sharing their pain and joy. The setting is authentic, the characters fully alive: the message is one of hope in human compassion and the healing power of love." - Anne Donovan
"Karen Campbell captures all the strengths and frailties of our humanity in gloriously rich and evocative prose. This Bright Life is a masterpiece. I adored it." - Carole Hailey
"This Bright Life is a moving, haunting portrait of childhood and the jagged reflections of one tiny action in the kaleidoscope of humanity. Karen Campbell captures the voice of 12-year-old Gerard with poignant accuracy and her words paint pictures with the touch of an old master. Ultimately life-affirming, this gritty novel will take you to dark places, but it's one beautiful, uplifting journey." - Janice Hallett
"Karen Campbell finds lives that can fall between the cracks, and holds them up to the light of her clear, compassionate writing. Wee Gerard is yet another one of her brilliant creations - so real you can hear him breathing, feel his hurt and frustration alongside him." - Kirstin Innes
"This story of the fragility of life will break your heart but don't worry, it will mend it again in the most beautiful way, reminding you of the indomitable nature of the human spirit. A novel full of compassion and hope." - Elissa Soave
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Karen Campbell's This Bright Life