In post-war Glasgow a primary school class was set a composition topic: a memorable family event. Each child completed the assignment - all, that is, but one.

Why didn't you write about your family?

Please, miss. I didn't, I didn't know what to write.

But now, he does.

In Already, Too Late, Carl MacDougall, one of Scotland's most accomplished and celebrated literary writers, presents a memoir of extraordinary authenticity and honesty.

This memoir takes us through MacDougall's upbringing, both in and out of care on the west coast of Scotland, Fife, and industrial Glasgow, during the first decade of his life.

Within this world, now teetering on the brink of our collective memory, sits a single-parent household of German descent; money is tight, trauma roams free and tragedy comes calling again and again.

Through a powerful mosaic of stories, MacDougall strips away all rose-tinted sentimentality to create a vivid account of heart-break, dissociation and loss.

Already, Too Late is the early life of an outsider looking in, a changeling child, displaced, alone, and - in his own grandmother's words - 'no right'. Because for some, even the very beginning is already too late.

About the Author

CARL MACDOUGALL is one of Scotland's most celebrated writers. His work includes three prize-winning novels (Stone Over Water, Secker & Warburg 1989; The Lights Below, Secker and Warburg, 1993; The Casanova Papers, Secker & Warburg, 1996), four pamphlets and four collections of short stories and two works of non-fiction. He has edited four anthologies, including the bestselling The Devil and the Giro (Canongate, 1989). He has also written and presented two major television series on Scottish literature and language.

Reviews

Lyrical, richly detailed and full of gentle humour, Already, Too Late is a wonderful book. SUSAN FLOCKHART, The Herald

...the sheer accomplishment of the storytelling and the lively variety of writing styles make it a compelling read. - DAILY MAIL

A towering figure... has lost none of his distinctive style or ability to shock... MacDougall creates a complex world over a dozen deftly crafted pages... [a] masterful collection. - SCOTSMAN

The towering voice of Scottish literature returns with this stunning collection... told without melodrama, with MacDougall's cleanly-written prose... This is a triumphant return to fiction after an absence of a decade for this award-winning writer. - SCOTTISH FIELD

Brutal but brilliant. - HERALD

Carl MacDougall's new collection is brimming with the qualities we've come to expect from this important Scottish writer: beautiful writing, real people, poignant and wounded like us, rich emotional wisdom, and a lovely wit. - ANNE LAMOTT

This novel... sets Carl MacDougall firmly among the pantheon of Kelman and Gray... sparkling and exhilarating... wise and, above all, entertaining - SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

A masterpiece... one of the great Scottish novels of this century - SPECTATOR

Carl is a hero of mine... a great storyteller - BILLY CONNOLLY

Book Information
ISBN 9781804250556
Author Carl MacDougall
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Luath Press Ltd
Publisher Luath Press Ltd