i>svci roi oeicAi DRAMA JACQUELINE ROY
The Fat Lady Sings iWomen's Press S‘(3.2)E)i O...
Thnfatlaih Shuts
leEtlItlllétIIOIIES of society's attitude to madness and mental disorders is a fairly taiiizliar’ stomping ground for writers trirough the years. hut this dehut adult novel from Jacqueline Roy Ire; is the suhiect with rare suhtlety and a uniondertully delicate p; ssion.
the story revolves around two hlack women who are sectioned and confined to a psychiatric ward. Gloria Ithe fat lady of the titlei suffers mood swings. while Merle hears voices in her head. lhe narrative switches hetween the two women. and as the story progresses. the history of each character's situation is gradually revealed. and they slowly help each other towards recovery.
lhere are no easy answers in the Fat Lady Srrigs. hut a realistic and frank look at hoth the fragility of the human mind and the '.'.ray the system seeriis to fail those suffering from mental I|lIT(}f353.
Uncoiiii)rorriising yet tender and funny. this is a skillirl and accomplished novel. Doug \l()ltl‘.f;I()lt(}i
BIOCHAI’I IY ALEXANDER GAMES Backing Into The Limelight: The Biography Of Alan Bennett ll leadline S‘IBIN; 0..
Alexander (iarnes'
hiography oi the speccy
ex Beyond Hie / rrrige man and '.'/ritei‘ coiiihiiies all of the riiandatory adulation ol the authorised
hiography. and none of the usual inside information. Games tries to make a virtue of the fact that he has never even met Bennett. let alone played Boswell to him. hut tails hadly
His research finally amounts to a drafty patchwork of newspaper snippets. the odd hook. and a hriet and unintoi'mative conversation with Ann Davis. a lady with whom Bennett had a long. hut seemineg not too intimate relationship.
All the same. (-‘iames prowdes a coherent chronological account of the life so tar, with some stories from Oxford. Beyond lhe Hinge and a variety of Bennett's theatre and television productions to keep the reader going. He also provides a Ii\.ely commentary on Bennett's seeriirngly endless run ins with the newspaper industry Nothing spectacular. hut a good read for fans. ISteve Crameri
SI IOHI SIOHII MURIEL SPARK The Complete Short Stories (Viking S‘ch O...
like Wittgenstein. what is iriipoitant in Muriel Sparks stories is what she does not say. l rom the first story here. 'lhe Go Away Bird'. ahoiit a young woman growing up in South Africa. there are commonthemes: illicit sex. society. an ever present hint of the supernatural. ()ne suspects that Spark's hlack hiiiiioiii and acerhic characteiisation is hecause she is not a very nice person. lending the stories an edge. But her strength is iii skiltiil :irirleistateriiei‘t.
She knows her area well; iii ‘lhe Black Madonna'. atter a few
choice sentences. we have Raymond and Lou precisely: middle-class. 'Iiheral'. childless. and ‘not racist'. And we are expected to know her well. This collection comes without an introduction. and despite the stories spanning a period of /1() years. no dates are given. This is a hook intended to stand or tall on merit alone. It stands. (Anna Shipmani
Itl‘l I(‘il()US Dl‘lSAIl RICHARD HOLLOWAY Doubts And Loves iCanongate S‘It3.S)S)i O...
DOUBTS N" LOVES
Following on from the highly acclaimed Godless r‘i/lor‘a/rtv in which Richard I Iolloway explored the realm of ethics without religion. comes the natural extension of that hook. In Douhts Arid! oves. the former Bishop of Edinhurgh considers the role of Christianity in our current society. and how it can he salvaged without losing its fundamental message. taking his cue from 'Ihoiiias Kiihn's [he Structure Of Scientific Revolt/tron. Holloway likens Christianity to a science that is ripe for a paradigm shift: there is no longer a place for old style Christianity in our modern society. hut with some changes. he helieves it can still have some relevance. He argues his position very clearly. illustrating it throughout with quotes from the most unlikely sources. including Niel/sche. lhis is a highly intelligent and thought provoking hook; it's just unfortunate that the people who would henetit most tron reading it are more liker to hunt it than huy it. (Kirst Kiiaggsi
Books
EVENTS AT BORDERS
THURSDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 7PM
THEY BELONGED TO GLASGOW
Rudolph Kenna and Ian Sutherland discuss They Belonged To Glasgow, 0 social history recounting the city’s last 250 years through eyewitness accounts.
FRIDAY 21 ST SEPTEMBER 5.30PM
AINSLEY HARRIOT
TV super chef signs copies of his new quick, simple cooking guide:
GOURMET EXPRESS 2 ‘
THURSDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 7PM
THE SCOTTISH FISHING BOOK
Sandy Forgan gives an illustrated talk based on his comprehensive guide to fishing.
MONDAY 8TH OCTOBER 7PM
DAVID KINLOCH
Glasgow based poet will be reading from his new collection.
UN TOUR D’ECOSSE
TUESDAY 9TH OCTOBER 7PM
JAN FENNELL
Jan Fennell's remarkable understanding of the canine world and its language has earned her the admiration of dog lovers everywhere. She will be in-store discussing the training techniques described in her book.
WEDNESDAY IOTH OCTOBER 7PM
STEVEN JOHNSON
Drawing together ideas from the diverse fields of evolutionary science, town planning, software design and neuroscience to form the foundation of a new way of thinking that will change the way we view the world.
COMING SOON
COLIN PRIOR TUESDAY 16TH OCTOBER TIM PAGE THURSDAY 18TH OCTOBER
I l :9 BLUE POPPIES LAUNCH THURSDAY 25TH OCTOBER RUTH THE TRUTH MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER TIMOTHY GOOD TUESDAY 30TH OCTOBER
LOUIS DE BERNIERES TUESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER
BORDERS
98 BUCHANAN STREET, GLASGOW G1 38A
TEL::OI4I 222 7700 OPENING HOURS: 8am to I lpm, Monday to Saturday, IOam to 9pm Sunday www.bordersstores.com/stores/283
' THE LIST 99