The Black Dog: The life-affirming debut novel from one of Britain's most-loved comedians

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Wonderful story about how fear can cause something to grow out of proportion and about confronting fears. The name of the heroine, Small Hope, is a little obvious but works nonetheless. This book is a character lead novel,for sure, although the story/plot itself would still be good even without such well written characters the fact the characters are so well developed is a added bonus.

I love this book. Brilliantly drawn, believable characters of raw heart and honesty. Cannot recommend enough.' Matt Coyne Immensely readable, fast moving and an insight into two sides of Kevin Bridges, I really enjoyed it. Kevin's warmth and wit shine through in his first novel. Never a dull moment and an array of engaging, quirky characters. A funny and absorbing read with some great insights into the world of negotiating being famous.' Jo BrandSome the observations made are bang on and further show that Kevin has far from forgotten where he is from I particularly like the c##t comment and irony about the westend. The more deeper observations about the male mental health struggle, the social mobility in our society, the moral issues of crime and general state of Scotland are subtle but make the point clear, this for me a real skill and is hard to achieve for even well established authors. Declan dreams of becoming a writer. He knows he has it in him, he’s even signed up to a local art centre to take a writing course. His version of writing isn’t well received by his peers, it’s too visceral and leaves him feeling downtrodden. So, in typical Scottish fashion, he gets completely wasted. This leads to dire consequences and like all Scottish people the morning after – they vow to never drink again. I have read quite a few books recently from celebrities, particularly comedians. It seems to be an assumption that someone who is funny in a stand-up routine can seamlessly transfer those skills to paper. I don't know where I stand on this phenomenon - part of me thinks its unfair on writers who must have an eternal struggle to get anything published. People who have worked and grafted tirelessly for years must be so frustrated to see someone famous come along and get their novel published on name recognition alone. Publishers must know that the name alone will sell books and it is much lower risk for them than taking a punt on someone unknown. Udugba, Anthony (2023-09-23). "Nollywood veterans shine in Editi Effiong's Netflix film". Businessday NG . Retrieved 2023-09-24. I just LOVED this book – it’s written in large chunks, from each of the main characters’ points of view, rather than in shorter chapters and this works really well. There’s an openness in the characters that an alternative format might not have allowed.

I’m not saying it’s a bad book or the writing is bad or anything like that, it’s just not my type of thing. I enjoyed the characters but I also felt like I had no idea what the book was trying to achieve until I got to the second half. Le illustrazioni sono qualcosa di fenomenale, ricchissime di dettagli ed estremamente suggestive, proprio come in una fiaba. Si potrebbe guardare ogni disegno per ore, perché i dettagli sono così numerosi e particolareggiati, interessanti, curiosi, simpatici che anche il più piccolo angolo della pagina racchiude una storia in sé. Le illustrazioni colorate sono bellissime, con il loro contrasto tra i colori caldi e saturi degli interni e il freddo delle ambientazioni esterne, dove a prevalere sono il bianco della neve e il nero del cane ,con la sola eccezione del puntolino giallo che è il cappottino di Small Hope, che sembra quasi dipingere con i suoi saltelli e le sue corse il paesaggio, portando il colore e il calore della famiglia anche nei luoghi desolati e freddi dove si trova il cane nero. The language used is very Glasgow but not over done, it is one the few books set Glasgow that uses language that is widely spoken in Glasgow.Overall, we thought this was a very humorous tale and we enjoyed reading it together. I liked it even more when I read it a second time the next morning. There are so many details in the pictures that I simply overlooked when I read it the first time. Such a charming little story. However, by the end I was both confused and entertained. The ending was both satisfying but also left so many loose ends. It’s hard to explain but I guess it leaves the reader open to imagine their own endings and what happened to the characters after the book finished. Our list of contributors is second to none, and includes numerous award-winning authors and scholars. Some of our past contributors include F. Paul Wilson, Bill Pronzini, Robert Weinberg, James Reasoner, Bill Crider, Robert J. Randisi, Gerry Conway, and Will Murray. Declan was just a wee lamb! Trying to hold it all together but struggling with anxiety and doubt. I loved his character growth. His mum and sister were amazing too. Doof Doof was the friend that everybody needs! He was just such an amazing character and supportive friend. I know he was more of a side character but he was my favourite character and I want only amazing things for him. Even the ‘baddies’ felt realistic. It would have been so easy to make them caricature gangsters. The pictures are nicely detailed and really help tell the story. I loved the figurines scattered throughout the house, especially the numerous little owls and the two shisa dogs posted outside the front door.