Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given. My thoughts having listened to the audio version of Paper Cup: Listen to this book because you like a good story. A story of flawed personalities, and others that can overlook the flaws and give encouragement. Characters that you can’t always love, but you also can’t ignore for so many reasons.. Listen to this book because you like the idea of finding stories rooted in Glasgow and Scottish culture and setting. A happenstance story of Kelly’s redemptive pilgrimage to return a lost ring. Listen to this story because the narrator’s presentation is ‘pure, dead, brilliant man!’. Listen to this story and give yourself the chance to reconsider those that you see sitting with a cup in front of them. It has certainly given me lots to think about, and I believe that’s a good thing. Oh, and there is a Collie puppy called Cauli (Cauliflower) that just wants to be loved, not forgotten. I think ultimately that is what Kelly and everyone really wants too. Finally listen to this story with some hankies for drying tears which spring from grief and joy.

The narration on this was spot on.
I felt for Kelly.
She was an amazingly lively character who didn't always let life get her down.
It brings home the reality of homelessness, and hoe society treats them.
At times so sad, and them moments later, a one liner would have me smiling.
I'll remember Kelly and her journey for a while.

If I could’ve rated this 10 stars I would. I don’t only want to recommend it, I almost feel like I want to force people to read it. This is probably my book of the year and one of the most impactful that I’ve EVER read. I miss Kelly and collie.

When I say this book left me in tatters I really mean it. There has been absolutely no holds barred on the harsh slamming reality of homelessness, addiction, abuse, the benefits system, the prison system, the endless cycle of everything in life that makes you a whole human. It holds a mirror to the stark reality that it really could be any single one of us.

The writing is divine, Karen Campbell doesn’t just write though she orchestrates beautiful music onto paper. The language is powerful. The local dialect precise and perfect. It’s raw, disturbing, distressing, heartbreaking, heartwarming but above all of these things it’s hopeful. And I think while it’s easy to pass as brilliant fiction there is so much truth in those pages that it physically hurts. Of course the fictional story is important. The premise is brilliant, I loved the idea of a pilgrimage to return a thing that isn’t hers is brilliant. The love story between Kelly and that puppy is one of the best of all time.

As a final note I had to google the Caroline Guthrie, the narrator (that’s how good it is) I live in Glasgow and was convinced I knew her.

This won’t leave me for a very long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunities to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Paper Cup
by Karen Campbell

You just have to take one look at the cover of this book to understand instantly what lies within. Every generation has had it's outsiders, nomads, tramps, displaced, evicted, but what is it about today's generation of homeless people that feels so shameful and unnecessary in this era of social consciousness and welfare accessibility? I saw this audiobook and was punched in the face by it's picture of a little house drawn onto a paper cup and had to pick it up.

I was instantly captured by Kelly's voice. An alcoholic who had spent years living rough on the streets of Glasgow, she is a hard nut to crack. Outwardly she is coarse and spiky, holding the world at arms length, but there are chinks to her armour, little hints of who she was before she was this. Through Kelly we live the daily grind of life as a vulnerable woman and get to view her world from the inside. It is an unflinching reality, filled with eye-opening detail, a very uncomfortable read that turns the spotlight back on the conscience of the reader a bit.

A turn of events sees Kelly take a journey around the rural Galloway area, on The Pilgrim's Way. She connects with all kinds of characters along the way, some are worrying encounters, some are kind. The author uses this pilgrimage to highlight some interesting history and landmarks around the area, and I enjoyed the beautiful writing describing the landscape and the natural elements which offer a contrast to the harsh grittiness of the homeless life. Each mile on Kelly's journey we go deeper into her past, back to where it all went wrong for her.

Before I began listening, I had a concern, a pet peeve of mine, that the author was going to exploit the issues around homelessness as a plot device. I was skeptical that the light-hearted humour and banter might dilute the seriousness and feared that a lovely, happy ending would discount or negate the brutal realities, but it didn't come across that way at all in the reading. I think she handled it in such a sensitive and informed way. I especially like the commentary about saviourism. I also like how Campbell underpins the complexity of homelessness.

This would make an excellent book club pick because of all the issues that are unpacked, alcoholism, addiction, dependency, failures in the welfare system. I will be thinking about this for a long time to come.

Thanks to #netgalley and #@bolindaaudio for the Advance Listening Copy

Paper Cup was one of my favourite books of 2022 so it was a joy to hear it again on audiobook. It tells the story of Kelly, a homeless woman who finds herself on a sort of pilgrimmage to go back to her childhood home. It really brings life to this character who is someone that many would walk past on the street. The narration is excellent and I can't recommend this audiobook enough.