There’s been a lot about Kevin Bridges in the press at the moment, thanks to the release of this, his debut novel, and he has been very upfront in talking about his own struggles with poor mental health, so that perhaps gives you an indication that this book features mental health very heavily as the motivation behind much of what the main characters do. This book was written, like many from people who are not considered novelists, during the pandemic when many people had nothing else to whilst at home so I am not sure whether we will get any more from Mr Bridges but I certainly hope we do and I would love to follow Declan on his journey ahead. Alongside painting, Levi writes stories in his spare time. Since graduating from University in 2006, Levi has worked as a self employed illustrator. The Django, his debut picture book, is inspired by Levi's love of music. At face value, their lives couldn't be more different, but perhaps fate has a way of bringing kindred spirits together - and perhaps each holds the other's redemption in their hands.

And although I was eager to find out the fate of our characters, the plot sometimes felt as though it dragged along without purpose. A strong start and an excellent ending, but somewhere in the middle I began to lose concentration. Creating stories is an organic process for Levi. Sometimes he does a drawing and then the story might come afterwards which is common with people who write and illustrate. He likes to get the text finalised before he starts on illustrations. For me Glasgow is captured perfect in this book, it is not over the top with the no mean city stereotype or doesn’t romanticise places he just writes like it is, your slightly overbearing maw who loves you dearly but would boot your arse gladly. Wonderful story about how fear can cause something to grow out of proportion and about confronting fears. The name of the heroine, Small Hope, is a little obvious but works nonetheless.

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Levi Pinfold was born in the Forest of Dean. From a young age he loved books and comics and spent many of his days drawing and writing his own stories. I’m not saying it’s a bad book or the writing is bad or anything like that, it’s just not my type of thing. I enjoyed the characters but I also felt like I had no idea what the book was trying to achieve until I got to the second half. Overall, we thought this was a very humorous tale and we enjoyed reading it together. I liked it even more when I read it a second time the next morning. There are so many details in the pictures that I simply overlooked when I read it the first time. Such a charming little story. A life-affirming debut novel from one of Britain's most-loved comedians, Kevin Bridges - exploring dysfunctional friendships, family, and how to face your problems head on. The story itself is well told and is full of Bridges' trademark wit and humour. I enjoyed the fact that, despite some of the language, it was a subtle story of one young man's search for himself in a place where he does not fit in with the crowd. There is no sensationalism or glorification of drugs, crime or violence in the way that some portray in Glasgow in film, TV and novels and there are some excellent characters in the book who act as true friends to Declan.

Declan was just a wee lamb! Trying to hold it all together but struggling with anxiety and doubt. I loved his character growth. His mum and sister were amazing too. Doof Doof was the friend that everybody needs! He was just such an amazing character and supportive friend. I know he was more of a side character but he was my favourite character and I want only amazing things for him. Even the ‘baddies’ felt realistic. It would have been so easy to make them caricature gangsters. I felt that the whole thing was very visual – perhaps intentionally because of James’ occupation and Declan’s ambitions – but for every bit of part 6, I could see it all being played out on screen in all its sad and hilarious glory. It’s definitely something that would work well on TV. He has his pet Labrador for companionship and his best friend-turned-mentor, a pseudo-intellectual who works as a greenskeeper at the local municipal golf course, both of which help keep the worst of his anxieties at bay. But following a drunken row with local gangsters, Declan's worries threaten to spiral out of control.On the surface, Declan and James have little in common – they grew up in the same town, sure, but one is an internationally known writer/director/actor, and the other is cruising through college and nights in the pub. They are both at crossroads in their lives, but whether they are taking the right path remains to be seen. Some the observations made are bang on and further show that Kevin has far from forgotten where he is from I particularly like the c##t comment and irony about the westend. The more deeper observations about the male mental health struggle, the social mobility in our society, the moral issues of crime and general state of Scotland are subtle but make the point clear, this for me a real skill and is hard to achieve for even well established authors. I’m a huge fan of Kevin Bridges’ comedy, which tends to feature comedic tales. Based on his stand up, I viewed him as a gifted storyteller. So I was beyond excited to read his first work of fiction and I was not disappointed! Levi is now living in Australia and working on a new picture book for Templar slated for 2014 publication. Le illustrazioni sono qualcosa di fenomenale, ricchissime di dettagli ed estremamente suggestive, proprio come in una fiaba. Si potrebbe guardare ogni disegno per ore, perché i dettagli sono così numerosi e particolareggiati, interessanti, curiosi, simpatici che anche il più piccolo angolo della pagina racchiude una storia in sé. Le illustrazioni colorate sono bellissime, con il loro contrasto tra i colori caldi e saturi degli interni e il freddo delle ambientazioni esterne, dove a prevalere sono il bianco della neve e il nero del cane ,con la sola eccezione del puntolino giallo che è il cappottino di Small Hope, che sembra quasi dipingere con i suoi saltelli e le sue corse il paesaggio, portando il colore e il calore della famiglia anche nei luoghi desolati e freddi dove si trova il cane nero.

A truly brilliant book, the best ARC I’ve read this year, a sure in for my top 10 books of the year. Vulnerable and raw - this is a beautiful debut novel from the king of comedic storytelling.' Tom Allen Depression had been in and out of my life since my late 20’s and I invested huge amounts of energy in covering it up. People warned me against creating such a book, that I would lose my job, respect from others, responsibilities and even friends but I have to say that apart from marrying my wife and having my children; this was one of the best things I’d ever done with my life. Not only did it set me free but I began to live my life authentically. The biggest lesson in all this for me was helping others is one of the greatest ways we can help ourselves.

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I was a bit hesitant coming into this book. With Scottish authors, particularly those from Glasgow, there can often be a tendency towards being overly reliant on Scottish vernacular. Whilst this can add to the authenticity of the story, ah hate when some wee writers hink its awrite tae write like this aw ra time. It can make a good story difficult to read, even those who have lived and worked in Glasgow. This book is funny, heartwarming, touching, moving, smart and just brilliant in both terms of the plot and characters. I am still laughing at the ending, a true laugh out loud read. Watching Kevin, I was sure he was born to be a stand-up comic, but reading his book it is clear he can do absolutely anything he sets his mind to. I look forward to visiting his Michelin starred restaurant and living on his self-built space community. Everything that is great about Kevin's stand up - the characters he creates, the unapologetic root in working class life, the straddling of worlds - is what's great about this book.' Jon Richardson This book is a character lead novel,for sure, although the story/plot itself would still be good even without such well written characters the fact the characters are so well developed is a added bonus. The idea for the book was scribbled shortly after the tragic event of 9/11, while living in New York. I didn’t wake up on Sept 12 th and think ‘I’m going to change my life!’ It was more a period of osmosis. I realised that life can be intrinsically short and that I’d been doing life, not living it. This was in many thanks to the unwanted companion trotting along beside me for many years.