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book cover for Callum, Reine, Sylvie and Sparrow

Callum, Reine, Sylvie and Sparrow

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Pub Date 27 Oct 2026 | Archive Date 26 Jul 2026


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Description

The East Neuk of Fife, The Isle of Bute, Edinburgh, Paris...

Dingle Bay, Galway, Cape Clear, Ireland...

Callum, a musician and journalist, reflects on the people who have shaped him as he stumbles down life's path - part-time strippers, lucked-in pop stars, book shop hoarders, footballing maestros, sold-out artists, reclusive authors...

Reine, his long-time partner, is portrayed through glimpses of their shared past, while Sylvie, a later love, brings Callum new confidence as they attempt to build a life together, despite the cards life eventually plays them. Friends such as Edna and Sparrow, whose turbulent experiences weave through the narrative, play pivotal roles in Callum's understanding of love, loss and renewal.

This fragmentary novel from acclaimed singer-songwriter James Yorkston flips between rural Scotland, the West Coast of Ireland and beyond. We visit discos, bird hides and the Top of the Pops studio, Parisian flea markets and Edinburgh bookshops. We swim underneath the stars in bitterly cold Irish loughs, before hurrying back for warmth. These poignant and amusing, daft and serious tales explore just who we can really be from one day to the next. For fans of character driven literary fiction and readers who enjoyed The Offing by Benjamin Myers or The Green Road by Anne Enright.

The East Neuk of Fife, The Isle of Bute, Edinburgh, Paris...

Dingle Bay, Galway, Cape Clear, Ireland...

Callum, a musician and journalist, reflects on the people who have shaped him as he stumbles...


Advance Praise

PRAISE FOR JAMES YORKSTON

'Yorkston is a brilliant writer, he never fails to deliver something unique' - Sam Heughan

'An outstandingly well written, emotionally complex slice of Scottish noir' - Mail on Sunday

'Compelling from the start... The narrative voice is vivid and rhythmic and full of telling detail. I roared through it' - Herald

'There are echoes of Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain... This slim, punchy book is extraordinarily powerful' - Times

'I absolutely love this book... The story flows effortlessly... An unsentimental and unflinching miracle of remembrance' - Jarvis Cocker

PRAISE FOR JAMES YORKSTON

'Yorkston is a brilliant writer, he never fails to deliver something unique' - Sam Heughan

'An outstandingly well written, emotionally complex slice of Scottish noir' - Mail...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780857306357
PRICE £10.99 (GBP)
PAGES 224

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