LAURA Marney, one of Scotland’s top comic novelists, returns to the literary scene on 8 May with the publication of For Faughie’s Sake, which is a satirical and gleeful celebration of contemporary Scottish life.
It is the sequel to No Wonder I Take a Drink, voted in a poll by The List as one of the Top 20 Scottish books of all time.
Explains a spokesperson: “Laura Marney’s hilarious new novel explores themes that would be considered very familiar to most of us in the year that Scotland goes to the polls: there’s the billionaire property developer who kicks off a local rebellion; there’s a big Hollywood movie that has a ‘unique’ take on Scottish history; … oh, and there’s the minor matter of an independence referendum.”
Laura says: “I’m uncomfortable that so many people are uncomfortable discussing the referendum. Politics is boring and full of dodgy egomaniacs and I completely understand why people are reluctant to engage.
“Some people – in my experience, women mostly – don’t feel well enough informed, or that their opinion is valuable.
“Women don’t want to be considered gobby and opinionated, or to disagree with their friends or fall out with anyone, so I wanted to offer an approach that was less combative and more comedic.”
In FFS, we find Trixie, the boozy unsentimental loner who relocated to the Highlands in No Wonder I Take a Drink, now running a B&B in Inverfaughie, a cliquey midge-ridden village.
She’s desperate to return to Glasgow, but not before the new Hollywood blockbuster on the Highland Clearances has been filmed: her B&B is booked up with actors for the entire summer.
However, a dispute over grazing with a faceless multinational shuts down production almost as soon as the movie action gets rolling, and soon a document asserting Faughie’s independence as a sovereign state is unearthed.
There’s only one way forward: a referendum to decide whether Another Faughie is Possible. Trixie must decide where her loyalties lie – for Faughie’s sake.
ENDS
About the author:
Laura Marney is the author of four previous novels: No Wonder I Take a Drink, Nobody Loves a Ginger Baby, Only Strange People Go to Church and My Best Friend Has Issues. She also writes short stories and drama for radio and the stage. She is one of the ‘G7’ group of Glasgow writers and teaches creative writing at Glasgow University.
Praise for Laura Marney:
“At last, a funny novelist with guts.” Henry Sutton, The Mirror
“One of Scotland’s best-kept literary secrets. A biting laugh-out-loud satire … energetic, edgy, with wide appeal.” Louise Welsh, author of The Cutting Room
“A natural comedy writer.” The Scotsman
“A shot of adrenalin.” The Independent
“Hilarious … dark, immensely energetic and a real breath of fresh air.” Jacqueline Wilson, Bristol Evening Post
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Please contact Sara Hunt, T. 07866 555 194, E. sara@saraband.net
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Contact: Sara Hunt
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