A very real contender for my favourite book. This was on my shelf having been recommended to me a while ago and was beginning to gather dust. Whenever it came to choosing a new book, I would skip it thinking it would be a bit of an effort. How stupid was I. This book gripped me from the beginning.The writing is breath-taking. Boyd has painted such an authentic picture of a man’s life that I have to keep reminding myself it is fiction. It’s got everything; humour, heart ache, reflection, history. Truly humbling and one of the greatest books I have ever read.