Well this was a surprise! A story with a heart set in Glasgow. Yes it deals with poverty, drugs and violence but not in a
‘Shuggie Bain’ way. Told from a troubled young boy’s viewpoint, the story starts when he is left alone to look after his younger siblings. He leaves his home to steal money to buy cream for his baby sister’s nappy rash. And that’s when life takes an unexpected turn. We are then drawn into the world of social workers, Children’s Hearings and redemption. The characters are well drawn, the whole scenario is believable. Lots of background stories feed into the main narrative. I loved the proper use of lots of Scottish words - not thrown in just for the fun of it but the words that those characters would have used. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I hoped for something good because I had previously read books by this author. A beautifully written story of a young boy who struggles with his life and makes a decision to change it. Lots of emotional scenes and a heart breaking storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy

This Bright Life tackles important and challenging topics and the writer uses an ideal tone for the tackling of them.
Gerard is a likeable character.
Prose and plot: 3
Characterisation: 3.5

This is a bleak story, but not without moments of hope. The writing is crisply beautiful, with fierce bursts of energy and emotion. The author, Karen Campbell, has the same knack as Ian McEwan for slowing down time in moments of disaster and danger. The scene where an elderly lady, Margaret, is attacked in the street, was brilliantly evoked. The dive into Margaret's backstory - one of bereavement and estrangement - was also vivid ("It suits Margaret to let her neighbours believe she has a nephew in Australia, not a son").

It's perhaps worth noting that the book description didn't quite reflect the novel - I had the impression it would be solely focused on the child, Gerard, and his perspective on events, but the adult female characters, Claire and Margaret, felt as important to the story.

Favourite line: "A sensation of release. Like the time Gerard had a broken arm and the doctor cut off his plaster. His healed arm had flown up, weightless with delight at being free."

Many thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the advance copy.