I fell in love with the great cover and then i fell in love with the poignant, thought provoking, intense story.
A story that moved me and made me think.
Great characters and storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In the 40th anniversary year of the miners strike, this was a novel that uses its aftermath as a backdrop to explore the lives of people affected by it.
Brian and Alex are brothers whose father died in a mining disaster in the town of Barnsley. Simon, Alex’s son, is openly gay and has a drag act in which he impersonates the hated Prime Minister at the time of the strike, Maggie Thatcher. She is still a provocative figure but some might see his lampooning as in poor taste. After all, in real life, she was burned in effigy after she died by those who never forgave her for the year long strike. But Simon , still carries on. He also has an onlyfans account from which he makes money and features his partner Ryan. However, Ryan has plans to become a policeman so is very careful not to be shown in any way that could identify him when he’s in Simon’s homemade videos.
Ryan works in security in a local shopping centre, the Alhambra, and watches CCTV all day. We are one of the most surveyed nations on earth, I think, by now. The 80’s were not a good time to be gay as Section 28 was brought in and it felt as if they were being demonised. Alex has issues of his own regarding his sexuality, which his ex-wife tried to make him acknowledge.
The town has moved on although there are still reminders of the pit. Employment is no longer underground but is, instead, in several call centres and the bricks and mortar of new housing estates cover what were once fields. A group of academics are visiting and they are keen to talk to any interested residents about their life in the town and any memories that they would like to share. Brian takes part and recalls changing shops and a vanished way of life. He also discusses the disaster that killed his father. Mining was a dangerous business. The group leave to write up their notes and move onto the next study.
I felt a strong emotional pull in the very effectives scenes of the miners walking to work together like a platoon in the army, in unison at dawn to the mine and going down in ‘the cage.’ A way of life that had happened over generations and was soon going to come to end as pits were closed. Brian, the father, took pleasure in his neat, productive allotment and his pigeons. Later his sons visit the now overgrown and abandoned allotment and set his beloved pigeons free.
But there was also humour as when Simon considers appropriate stage names for his act. This included Cheryl Coal, Slag Heap and Martha Scargill. But another name won – Puttana Short Dress. He is enjoying a freedom that might not have been possible 40 years ago.
I remember the miners strike although I wasn’t living in the north – the benefit concerts, the collection buckets at tube stations, the news reports of the battle of Orgreave and the judgement meted out to miners who did work though the strike. It decimated miners villages where it was the sole employer and then it was all gone. The miners brass bands, communal activities and the community itself.
Pity is a short powerful novella which encompassed many themes and referenced one of the most divisive Prime Ministers I can remember. The book has a very striking cover which intrigued and attracted me to read it.

This is a fast pace book that packed a punch, intense at times. Short chapters that follows several timelines. I have to admit that it did made me drift off and confused in the beginning, but it is a raw story that felt real.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I requested this literary, mixed-format novel about a former mining family in Barnsley on a bit of a whim – and I'm glad I did! Although I think it was too short to really make a massive impact on me and maybe focused too much on seemingly unnecessary details for such a short novel, I really liked the different strands of the story, the way they're all woven together, and the way it interrogates representation of towns like Barnsley. Would definitely read more from the author! 3.5 stars.

I really loved this book, in a way that makes it hard to give a review that would do it justice! It's a book I kerp thinking about after finishing, and that I really want to return to with a big notebook to make notes and comments in, because it is rich with potential to study, and I am desperate for some close reading of passages.

McMillan captures the environment and voices so well here, bringing the various men into clear focus and letting them form their characters in a limited amount of space. I especially loved the themes of observation in a multiple of environments and methods, and the creation of the person (and masculinity) through the act of observation.

A captivating and thoughtful novel. Hugely recommended, I think I need to start rereading it right now!

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley and I have chosen to leave a review*

I initially found the narrative style a little difficult to settle into; it switches between past and present and characters. It felt rather disjointed and ad hoc. But stick with it because it develops a rhythm of its own and it soon took shape.

It’s Thatcher’s Britain at the time of the miners strike and the setting is Sheffield. The sense of time and place is captured perfectly along with the division within communities and families. Add to that young man searching for his own identity and how his choices will affect his relationships with all around him. On reflection, the narrative is totally suited to the themes explored, broken Britain, broken societies and communities and a great deal of anger and resentment. But for some there was also hope and empowerment and this short novel is unusually rewarding. A different read and one I enjoyed.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Canongate publishers for access to an arc for review.
Within just 100 pages, McMillan paints a very rich and honest account of a family growing up around the miner's strike, in Thatcher's Britain. Alongside a developing relationship with Ryan, Simon floats between jobs, trying to leave his mark on the world as a drag queen.
The characters are portrayed so well for such a short book. I found it full of hope, love, loss and in an empowering way, grief. McMillan also lands a political punch at the rise in poverty, the loss of community and camaraderie between the miners. The passages describing the men coming out of their houses early every morning, setting off to the mine in a communal walk were especially profound and moving.

What an extraordinary debut.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is one of those short, intense novels that manages to convey a great deal with great economy. Presented as short sections, the narrative alternates amongst different points of view. We have a set of academics who have come to Barnsley to explore the residents' ideas about the history of their town through their stories and memories; Brian, who is one of the few locals to engage with them; Brian's nephew Simon, who works as call handler for a betting company during the day but whose passion is the drag act he is developing as a commentary on the town's recent mining history; Simon's father Alex who is tentatively starting to accept his own homoerotic urges; and overshadowing it all, a series of sections that function as counterpoint and Greek chorus, highlighting the weariness and repetitiveness of the miners' routine, until the day tragedy strikes.

This is a snapshot of a former mining town in decline, of the impact a mining accident has had on one family, and an exploration of the nature and value of truth and memory in processing tragedy and moving forward. Andrew McMillan is a poet, and this shows in the structure of the novel whose short sections are almost like a series of stanzas punctuated by the leitmotif of the miners exiting their houses and falling into step for the morning shift at the mine. His prose is spare and lyrical, and the picture he builds up is a stark one but one that offers hope for the future. Highly recommended.

Andrew McMillan's debut novel displays his skilful command of language, honed from years of experience as a poet. The story unfolds over three generations of a South Yorkshire mining family, with multiple themes like queer guilt, identity, mining disasters, and drag as a means of protest woven together seamlessly. The result is a mesmerizing read that will leave you wanting more. A great short read for anyone experiencing a reading slump and looking to discover something new. Captivating from start to finish!

'Pity' is a remarkable novel by poet Andrew McMillan which deftly explores the lives of three generations in a Northern mining town.

For such a slight book, it was so rich in its exploration of themes: masculinity, sexuality, industrialisation, generational trauma (just to start!)

For fans of Max Porter, Thomas Morris and Ocean Vuong.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review - can't wait to pick up a hard copy.

If I could give this 10 stars then I would!
This book has been on my mind for the past few days since I finished it. I have written several reviews in my head and discarded all of them because they did not do justice to the wonderful prose, amazing characters and sensational sense of place.
Maybe because I know this area I felt so connected to the characters, the generation of miners who had to live up to their role as the strong leader of the family. Or maybe the next generation who had that taken away from them, usurped by the female of the family? Or even this generation who Has had the chance of education and the choice to be who they want to be .
It may not be for everyone, but I will be recommending this to friends and look forward to discussing it with them.
I will also be checking to see if Andrew McMillan is visiting any bookshops or libraries nearby.

Pity is definitely different. It's very well written and is an interesting read.
Brothers Alex and Brian have spent their whole life in the town where their father lived and his father, too.
Alex, now in his middle age, and must reckon with a part of his identity he has long tried to mask.
Simon is the only child of Alex and had practically no memory of the mines. Now in his twenties and working in a call centre, he derives passion from his side hustle in sex work and his weekly drag gigs.

A short read, raw in places, with multiple ways of sharing the story, through different points of views and timelines.
It's poetic and everything interlinks very well, you find yourself gripped by the succinctness of the writing and you find yourself pulled into the story, especially with the writing being so visual and how easily the two themes of mining villages and dealing with identities are so well tied together.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canongate for the ARC

The town was once a hub of industry. A place where men toiled underground in darkness, picking and shovelling in the dust and the sleck. It was dangerous and back-breaking work but it meant something. Once, the town provided, it was important, it had purpose. But what is it now?

This is different. It’s an interesting read and well written. It’s probably not for everyone as it’s raw in places but I enjoyed reading it. It’s also quite a short book with easy to read paragraphs, allowing the reader a break when they need one. I feel it’s a brave work, something similar to the books that David Pease writes although not in his style. I grew up in an ex-mining family with several uncles and it helped me relate to the book. It relates the underlying problems that affect a town after the main industry has been removed. A good read.

As a resident not too far from where this book is set this has a real familiarity to it. The attitudes and personality of the people included in the book.
It had multiple ways of sharing the story, through different posts of views and timelines.
I feel like I enjoyed it. It was definitely a quick read.
I loved the poetic way that some of this was portrayed.
A really interesting book.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

'Pity' by Andrew McMillan is a gritty and well written debut.

Brothers Alex and Brian have spent their whole life in the town where their father lived and his father, too. Still reeling from the collapse of his personal life, Alex, is now in his middle age, and must reckon with a part of his identity he has long tried to mask. Simon is the only child of Alex and had practically no memory of the mines. Now in his twenties and working in a call centre, he derives passion from his side hustle in sex work and his weekly drag gigs.

This book really grabs you and you cannot not help but be pulled into the story.

The poetic way this hard tale of these two brothers is told is amazing.

The writing is visual and the characters really leave an effect on you when you have finished.

How the two themes of mining villages and dealing with identities is so well brought together.

This will surely be one of my reads of the year and will stay with me for a long time.

Tanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read in return for a review.

This wasn’t quite the book I was expecting to read (which is not quite the author’s fault). Being from a ex-mining family in a similar part of the country, I had hoped for a further exploration of the feelings surrounding the strikes and dismantling of an industry and shared history. This is hinted at in the small “essays” the university academics share, but the story largely focuses on Simon, who negotiates life between a dead-end call centre, being a drag artist, posting Only Fans videos, and negotiating a new relationship. It’s unclear if Simon is old enough to remember the struggles his dad and uncle (both ex-miners) went though but his Margaret Thatcher drag act shows he is aware of the depth of feelings surrounding this history.

There are buried feelings and stories here; some are uncovered but I felt there was more to explore here. It is a short novel that, I feel, would have benefited from more pages to round out all the characters and stories. That said, there is some beautiful writing here; it feels quite poetical at times with the repeated “leaving for work” sections. Hearing the “coal laughing” at first seems comical then sinister.

Thanks to #NetGalley for sharing this copy with me for an honest review.

A short novel, set in Barnsley a mining town, during the Thatcher years of the 70's and 80's. It tells the story of three generations, covering the topics of masculinity, class and homosexuality. The writing is clever, told from different points of view, and although it is a short read, it leaves an impact. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

As a queer working class person from a northern ex-mining community, this book felt like it was practically written for me. I loved it. This is a slim novel but it’s jam packed with ideas and different storytelling techniques - if anything, I felt it could have been longer, just to give a some of these wonderful scenes and characters a bit more space to breathe, as we sometimes whizz through chapters that could have slowed down, occasionally almost glancing over the meat of the scene. I could have read a whole novel just about Simon and his drag! It’s incredibly refreshing to read a novel about the north, and particularly the Thatcher effected mining communities, that doesn’t feel weighted down with the need to push a grim and gritty narrative - there’s lightness here too, and beauty. I adored the exploration of the different generations and how attitudes changed, the exploration of memory and place. Brian indulging the well-meaning but somewhat stuffy academics, but finding something of worth in their study despite himself was wonderful. I would have liked a little more of Alex’s story - both father and son being gay is such an interesting topic to explore and, again, I felt we skimmed this a touch.

I loved the different ways McMillan told this story - more conventional 3rd person narrative, the almost lyrical repetition of the coal mining scene (you can tell McMillan is a poet too), the outsider perspective told through gossip or cctv, the academic study - again perhaps this could be a few too many for such a short piece, but each section was engaging, and the novel is just brimming with excellent points and ideas. I did occasionally find the coal-mining scenes a tad repetitive - this was rather the point, but it did feel like it took up a little unnecessary space in such a short piece, and the same effect could have been achieved with a slightly lighter touch - every other chapter, perhaps. That being said, this was still an incredibly strong debut. McMillan is a skilled writer and I look forward to reading more of his work in future.

'Pity' is a masterful first novel by poet Andrew McMillan which deftly explores the lives of three generations in a Northern mining town.

In this short but polyphonic novel, we move frequently between different times and perspectives: we meet brothers Brian and Alex as teenagers who plan to follow their father into the mines, but also as adults in the present day looking back on their lives after the closure of the mines: Brian meets with some visiting academics exploring the psychogeography of Barnsley, while Alex broods on a secret in his personal life that led to the breakdown of his marriage. In the present, we also meet Alex's adult son, Simon, a call-centre operative and part-time drag performer and online sex worker, and Alex's partner, security guard Ryan.

McMillan weaves these threads together to offer a powerful account of Barnsley's past and present alongside the intertwined lives and relationships of the central family. By allowing the different voices to rub alongside each other, the novel resists both sentimentality and tragedy, and rejects any attempt to reduce Barnsley to one defining story: at one point, Brian asks the visiting academics, 'You keep using the word narrative, [...] you keep saying truth, you keep asking us the same things in different ways. What is it that you want from us?' Later, when discussing an explosion in the mine, Brian again rejects their take on it: 'I don't want new ways to talk about what happened, I don't want to talk about it.' Because of the way these contrasting perspectives are held in tension with each other, what emerges feels like a particularly truthful representation of people and place. This is likewise reflected in McMillan's depiction of LGBTQIA+ experience through the differing viewpoints of Simon, Ryan and Alex.

As one would expect from a poet like McMillan, this is an exquisitely written novel which will reward multiple re-readings. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

I liked this book . It is very short, 99 pages and tells the story of an ex coalmining town in South Yorkshire and the experience of gay men within the town. I thought the different viewpoints gave a fragmented picture at first, but as the book progresses, the different pieces come together to give a rounded picture of the town which is more insightful because of the different ways of looking at the themes. Theory is provided by the social scientists who are looking for meaning behind the townspeoples reactions to events such as the explosion.
The language used in the book is carefully chosen, definately no excessive description here and yet you do get a good image of the place both now and in the past . All in all a thought provoking and thoughtful read
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review