‘Gripping and moving. A literary triumph’ Nicola Sturgeon
‘A humane and searching story’ Ian Rankin
‘Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation’ A.L. Kennedy
A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR • A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Now that she’s gone, those who loved her, those who hated her and those who felt both ways at the same time are forced to ask one question:
Who was Clio Campbell?
Three days before her fifty-first birthday, Clio Campbell – one-hit-wonder, political activist, life-long-love and one-night-stand – kills herself in her friend Ruth’s spare bedroom. And, as practical as she is, Ruth doesn’t know what to do. Or how to feel. Because knowing and loving Clio Campbell was never straightforward.
As news spreads, the story of Clio’s life spreads with it: from the Isle of Skye to an anarchist squat in Brixton, from a yoga retreat in Greece to Glasgow on the night of the Scottish referendum. Half a century of memories, of pain and of joy, and that peculiar feeling in between the two, are wrenched to the surface.
Scabby Queen is a portrait of a woman who refuses to compromise, and a picture of a country that does nothing but. It’s about the silencing of women’s voices, about the destructive power of the celebrity machine, but most of all it is about empathy: its motives, its limits and the way it endlessly transformed.
Genre: General Fiction
‘A humane and searching story’ Ian Rankin
‘Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation’ A.L. Kennedy
A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR • A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Now that she’s gone, those who loved her, those who hated her and those who felt both ways at the same time are forced to ask one question:
Who was Clio Campbell?
Three days before her fifty-first birthday, Clio Campbell – one-hit-wonder, political activist, life-long-love and one-night-stand – kills herself in her friend Ruth’s spare bedroom. And, as practical as she is, Ruth doesn’t know what to do. Or how to feel. Because knowing and loving Clio Campbell was never straightforward.
As news spreads, the story of Clio’s life spreads with it: from the Isle of Skye to an anarchist squat in Brixton, from a yoga retreat in Greece to Glasgow on the night of the Scottish referendum. Half a century of memories, of pain and of joy, and that peculiar feeling in between the two, are wrenched to the surface.
Scabby Queen is a portrait of a woman who refuses to compromise, and a picture of a country that does nothing but. It’s about the silencing of women’s voices, about the destructive power of the celebrity machine, but most of all it is about empathy: its motives, its limits and the way it endlessly transformed.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"A warm, gritty, capacious take on the endearing theme of the fallen star. Irresistible." - Leila Aboulela
"Kirstin Innes has written a fat, firecracker of a book, revolving around the suicide of Clio Campbell, a Glasgow chanteuse, whose story emerges through the voices of friends, acquaintances, enemies and journalists with space to fill. It’s about women and silence, oddballs and adventurers and stupid mistakes; about ‘no need to worry about me’ Scottishness and 'getting by’ as practised by every culture on earth. Best of all, it’s about joy and hope and the pressing need to seize the day while one can." - Janice Galloway
"A hugely ambitious novel that fulfils the promise of Kirstin Innes' debut Fishnet and then some. You won't forget Clio Campbell, but Scabby Queen's punch also comes from the sophisticated, nuanced way Innes undermines simplistic biographical takes … Full of heart and dirt, fire and fury, Scabby Queen positively crackles with tension and drama throughout." - Rodge Glass
"Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation." - A L Kennedy
"Powerful and inspiring, ablaze with political rage and fierce empathy." - Helen Sedgwick
"It is insightful, sharp, beautifully written and so immersive I feel bereft now it is over … An unforgettable book." - Catherine Simpson
"Authentic and empathetic, bold and huge of heart …stands in excoriating witness to our times." - Simon Sylvester
"Kirstin Innes has written a fat, firecracker of a book, revolving around the suicide of Clio Campbell, a Glasgow chanteuse, whose story emerges through the voices of friends, acquaintances, enemies and journalists with space to fill. It’s about women and silence, oddballs and adventurers and stupid mistakes; about ‘no need to worry about me’ Scottishness and 'getting by’ as practised by every culture on earth. Best of all, it’s about joy and hope and the pressing need to seize the day while one can." - Janice Galloway
"A hugely ambitious novel that fulfils the promise of Kirstin Innes' debut Fishnet and then some. You won't forget Clio Campbell, but Scabby Queen's punch also comes from the sophisticated, nuanced way Innes undermines simplistic biographical takes … Full of heart and dirt, fire and fury, Scabby Queen positively crackles with tension and drama throughout." - Rodge Glass
"Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation." - A L Kennedy
"Powerful and inspiring, ablaze with political rage and fierce empathy." - Helen Sedgwick
"It is insightful, sharp, beautifully written and so immersive I feel bereft now it is over … An unforgettable book." - Catherine Simpson
"Authentic and empathetic, bold and huge of heart …stands in excoriating witness to our times." - Simon Sylvester
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Used availability for Kirstin Innes's Scabby Queen