Nigel Bird

A young boy, Jesse, is raised in a tumultuous household in Scotland. One day he discovers that after years of mistreatment by his mother, his father has left for Belfast to clear his head and perhaps find new work. It so happens that on the very same day, his troubled mother leaves the family home, resentful of her husband. Jesse is left to fend for himself, and fearing that he’ll be taken away from the family, decides to try to hide his situation for as long as possible. With money running low he turns to his father’s beloved record collection. Assembled over many years and containing rare releases he reluctantly pawns a particularly sought after and valuable selection.

Music plays a pivotal role in this short first instalment of the Southsiders series. Love of early rock & roll is a shared interest between the father and son, and acts as a means for them to have a common interest, as well as representing for both of them a freer way of living. The conflicted feelings Jesse experiences when, due to desperation, he is forced to put his father’s collection in jeopardy are well portrayed. A young son’s loyalty to his parents despite their considerable flaws is brought into focus. Jesse struggles with conflicted feelings—understanding the reasons behind his father being so beaten down but also craving for him to stand up for him himself, and by extension defend his son’s interests also.

A novel that visits the grim realities ordinary people can face, where abuse and neglect sometimes go unchallenged until the inevitable grave consequences result. Bird successfully draws a nuanced portrayal of damaged and overwhelmed people unable to outrun themselves. The intervention of various side characters adds a sense of a larger world for Jesse, and help create a contrasting tone in the narrative. There are some old-fashioned attitudes sprinkled throughout, but this is in keeping with the characters represented.

Overall, a touching attempt to grapple with the grit of downtrodden lives.… (mais)

The darkness refuses to lift in this final (?) episode of Southsiders. Jesse and Danny seek revenge on the men who caused the tragedy at the Phoenix Festival. Meanwhile Danny grows very serious with Maddy and looks for an out from his violent profession. Does he find it? Does Jesse survive his personal tragedy? The book offers lots of great scenes, such as Jesse's meetings with first Bonnie's mother, then her sisters. There is also lots of stomach-churning mayhem, and it's not the kind that leaves you smiling, no matter how much some people might deserve it. Bird could have taken this story a lot of ways. He chose to leave it hanging on the edge. While there is a sort of resolution at the end, it doesn't seem solid. There are too many loose threads, including the ongoing story of Jesse's father Ray, which was a great part of the first two episodes. Now, all we know is that he's still in prison, and apparently pretty much forgotten by his son. Perhaps Bird has more to say on the subject. We'll see. Despite these flaws, the immediacy of the prose and the convincing Scottish atmosphere wins me over. This is a quick read that may have a few upsetting moments--but no boring ones.… (mais)

A series that started out darkish turns pitch black in this episode as Jesse heads to the Phoenix festival, where he and his girlfriend plan to lose their virginity (at age15!) The writing is as good as ever, but the darkness of the story is almost too much to bear. Some of its images won't leave your mind soon. In introducing a new plot thread, a group of entrepreneurs looking for funding for their water purification device, author Bird seems to have lost track of Jesse's father Ray entirely. About all we hear is that Jesse hasn't visited him in prison for a long time. The character of Jesse's guardian, Danny, becomes much more prominent, as he battles a gang in Dundee and reunites with his long lost love, Maddy. This one doesn't leave you with much hope, however...on to episode 4.… (mais)