#scotlandinthe1980s

[bibliobethblog]

What a book! I’ll preface my gushing by saying straight up that I don’t think this book is going to be for everyone. And to be honest, halfway through I wasn’t sure it was going to be for me. Then the second half. Oh, the second half. I finally “got” this book and realised why the lovely Sarah from @messy_aussie_reader recommended it as one of my #wasitworththebump books this year. ⁣ ⁣ This is the story of a friendship between a group of Scottish working class lads in the 1980’s. The effervescent Tully Dawson leads the pack including his closest friend James. He oozes charisma, radiates happiness and is determined that they take advantage of being young with few responsibilities and live their lives to the fullest. ⁣ ⁣ The group spend a heady few days together in Manchester enjoying the music scene, bonding over films and the culture of the time and making memories to last a lifetime. Thirty years later, Tully rings James. He has news that will change their lives forever. ⁣ ⁣ This novel ticks all the right boxes for me. I loved that it was set in Scotland in the 1980’s and it was both familiar and comforting to be surrounded by the language and slang that defined my childhood/adolescence and that I still crave from time to time. ⁣ ⁣ However, there were moments that made me unsure - was this just the story of some teenagers out on the lash? Well, yes and no but it goes a lot deeper than that. As soon as we hit the present time period, the narrative switches to something much more considered and serious. ⁣ ⁣ Mayflies makes you look back at the first half of the book and appreciate the friendships that were formed and the fun/joy they managed to have. It made me re-evaluate some moments in my own life and friendships I’ve had. Finally, it took me to a place of gratitude that made me feel lucky to have certain people in my life. Was it worth the bump? Absolutely!!⁣ ⁣ An incredible five stars ⁣ ⁣ 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #bookreviews #mayflies #andrewohagan #bookssetinscotland #scottishnovels #booksthatmovedme #booksthatleaveamark #bookssetintheeighties #scotlandinthe1980s #highlyrecommendedreads #unforgettablereads https://www.instagram.com/p/CidH9nqrFdd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=