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

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The are elements of humour but very much from the darker end of the spectrum, and some of the language and behaviour reflects the toxic masculinity and misogyny that can be rife in small town communities in the west of Scotland. We meet him at Dunkin Donuts in JFK airport as he awaits a flight back to London for the press junkets to promote his latest release. You might change your opinion about some and stay firm on others, but you will feel a connection to them – whether for good or bad reasons. I look forward to visiting his Michelin starred restaurant and living on his self-built space community. Instead it’s a multiple character study, conveyed with warmth, understanding and an optimism that even if circumstances seem bad, no conclusion is inevitable in life (even if Bridges does deploy coincidence to resolve things, it is at least credible coincidence).

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges: Lacks legs, has no bite and

And although I was eager to find out the fate of our characters, the plot sometimes felt as though it dragged along without purpose. I especially loved Declan, as I’m also living with anxiety on the daily and I love seeing this rep in books, I just wanted to give Declan a big cuddle and try to quiet his doubts and anxieties. Plus, there’s a whole load of secondary characters who other than maybe Declan’s mate Doof Doof (great name) and his mum, don’t really add much to the story. He rings for an uber and heads for a pub to meet his friend Doof Doof, described in the blurb as a “pseudo-intellectual” – unkindly and not, I think, accurately. One of the pleasing and successful features of the novel is that fundamentally both Dolon and Cavani are good and admirable characters.I really hate slating a book - but i really really hated this, and it was a real struggle to get through! The more middle-class mob in the evening class he sneaks away to attend seem to agree, and are turned off by his earthy monologues drawn from a reality outside their experience. I’ve had a great time today reading reviews slating this book for its bad language and Scottish vernacular - fuckin grow up.

The Black Dog: The life-affirming debut novel from one of The Black Dog: The life-affirming debut novel from one of

Yes, Cavani sorts everything for Declan, despite going through his own turmoil with an addict sister, and the star-crossed young shaver and A-lister go off happily to collaborate on a project. He doesn’t have it all not by a longshot – the Hollywood dream has lost its allure and his agent is close to getting the sack. I enjoyed the character development and overall the story is entertaining and engaging although I did feel it was slow in parts. There are some glimmers of humour, but overall this is a pretty miserable book - we spend a lot of it going round and round inside the heads of troubled people. It takes Bridges no fewer than 24 pages to get Cavani from nursing his Americano to taking his seat in business class, which is a sign of the comedian’s strength and weakness as an author.

I felt that the whole thing was very visual – perhaps intentionally because of James’ occupation and Declan’s ambitions – but for every bit of part 6, I could see it all being played out on screen in all its sad and hilarious glory.