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Nothing is Heavy
The Deep Sea chippy and the Fantasy Island bar face each other across the neon glow of Junction Street. Beth shovels chips on one side and Amber spins naked around a pole on the other. Their work is mundane and predictable, each night much like any other, until a sudden, dramatic death forces them to choose between relative safety and risk.
Into this situation wanders George, lost and broken-hearted and dressed in a monkey costume.
Nothing is Heavy follows these three character over the course of one intense Saturday night. Unaware that their lives are already intimately connected by a previous tragedy, their fates collide again with completely unpredictable results.
What ensues is a hilarious, surreal, furiously-paced adventure involving sex, drugs, chips and angels which hovers masterfully between tragedy and farce.
Into this situation wanders George, lost and broken-hearted and dressed in a monkey costume.
Nothing is Heavy follows these three character over the course of one intense Saturday night. Unaware that their lives are already intimately connected by a previous tragedy, their fates collide again with completely unpredictable results.
What ensues is a hilarious, surreal, furiously-paced adventure involving sex, drugs, chips and angels which hovers masterfully between tragedy and farce.
- GenresFiction
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Jarrett
8 books24 followersI'm a short story writer and novelist and live in my native Edinburgh.
Nothing is Heavy, my first novel was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award 2013.
My first collection of short stories, The Way Out was published by Freight Books and was long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award 2015, the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015, and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize 2016.
My second novel, Always North, is due for publication in October 2019 from Unsung Stories.
You can find out more by visiting my website.
Nothing is Heavy, my first novel was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award 2013.
My first collection of short stories, The Way Out was published by Freight Books and was long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award 2015, the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015, and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize 2016.
My second novel, Always North, is due for publication in October 2019 from Unsung Stories.
You can find out more by visiting my website.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 30, 2017
I picked ‘Nothing is Heavy’ off the library's Local Writers shelf, as I felt like something set in Edinburgh and liked that the blurb centred on two women. It proved to be a light, fun read with occasional striking moments. As the back cover promises, the plot centres on two women and the male character has much less agency. This is for the best, as he’s also a lot duller. I liked Amber and Beth, whose dynamic was the book’s highlight. The internal monologues and flashbacks accorded to all three narrators became somewhat exasperating and the plot is predictable, however the atmosphere of urban ennui is nicely done and there are moments of great perceptiveness. Notably, George reflecting on the assumption that everything in his life is temporary and Amber’s feelings about tattoos. It ends a little bit too neatly for my taste, so would probably make a very good Film4 indie thriller.
June 4, 2020
Interesting characters and an unusual story. Definitely not high literature but I enjoyed it.
February 19, 2021
Really believable characters and a plot that surprised me in the best way.
September 10, 2013
I love how the stories of the three main characters, Amber, Beth and George connect, right from the start of the book. I identified with them individually – I found a little bit of my past in aspects of all their lives. That’s maybe because I’ve lived quite a few chapters of my own life. In Amber’s case it was working in a nightclub (though not a pole-dancing club in my case) in Beth’s, living with a band, in George – the coming to terms with an ended relationship. So I’m fully embroiled in their characters and back-stories as they’re propelled into a roller-coaster of a night which explodes them for good out of the ruts they’ve all been stuck in. I was reminded a little bit of Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie books (which I’m a big fan of) for the way the characters manage to disentangle themselves from life-threatening situations.
The friendship that develops overnight between Beth and Amber is engaging, ‘“You really think I’d care more about your baby than I would about you?”’ The extremity of their circumstances has forced them into the kind of intense relationship that neither would previously have touched with a bargepole.
Vicky Jarrett has cleverly woven the plot so that things you read early on in the book without fully understanding what they mean are search-lighted in a later reveal. You get a great feeling when the plot is hurtling along and you start to guess at a further interweaving, another twist in the tale. The ‘mother’ connection is a sad irony.
The ending for Amber is poignant and uplifting. It was with a sense of coming down that I joined George and Beth on route to their potentially rosy future.
The friendship that develops overnight between Beth and Amber is engaging, ‘“You really think I’d care more about your baby than I would about you?”’ The extremity of their circumstances has forced them into the kind of intense relationship that neither would previously have touched with a bargepole.
Vicky Jarrett has cleverly woven the plot so that things you read early on in the book without fully understanding what they mean are search-lighted in a later reveal. You get a great feeling when the plot is hurtling along and you start to guess at a further interweaving, another twist in the tale. The ‘mother’ connection is a sad irony.
The ending for Amber is poignant and uplifting. It was with a sense of coming down that I joined George and Beth on route to their potentially rosy future.
April 27, 2013
Maybe I was just in the mood to read this. To be honest, I rarely delve into this sort of fiction, not because I don't like it, but just because I have so many other goodies to tuck into ahead of it.
But I bought - and decided to read - Vicki Jarrett's "Nothing Is Heavy" because it was on a 3-for-2 promotion, and I just took a fancy to it. I think it's her debut novel, in which case it's all the more exceptional. Set in Leith, Edinburgh, it tells the intertwined tale of two woman, neither of whom has much going for them; one works in a fish shop, the other as a lap-dancer. It manages to be funny, gripping and poignant all at the same time, and Jarrett tells all this gritty story in a very feminine voice which emerges as a cross between Joanna Trollope and Irvine Welsh (it is Leith, after all).
Perhaps the plot is a bit too neatly resolved for some tastes - I know more a few readers who feel cheated by fully-resolved endings - but I reckon most readers will like the twists and turns at the end. By the way, it would make a great arthouse movie - watch out for a scene near the end involving potatoes, for instance, and you'll picture what I mean.
So this wonderful little book (it's only a little over 200 pages, it won't take much of your time) comes highly recommended. Then again, maybe I was just in the mood.
But I bought - and decided to read - Vicki Jarrett's "Nothing Is Heavy" because it was on a 3-for-2 promotion, and I just took a fancy to it. I think it's her debut novel, in which case it's all the more exceptional. Set in Leith, Edinburgh, it tells the intertwined tale of two woman, neither of whom has much going for them; one works in a fish shop, the other as a lap-dancer. It manages to be funny, gripping and poignant all at the same time, and Jarrett tells all this gritty story in a very feminine voice which emerges as a cross between Joanna Trollope and Irvine Welsh (it is Leith, after all).
Perhaps the plot is a bit too neatly resolved for some tastes - I know more a few readers who feel cheated by fully-resolved endings - but I reckon most readers will like the twists and turns at the end. By the way, it would make a great arthouse movie - watch out for a scene near the end involving potatoes, for instance, and you'll picture what I mean.
So this wonderful little book (it's only a little over 200 pages, it won't take much of your time) comes highly recommended. Then again, maybe I was just in the mood.
January 24, 2016
Gosh, this was so much better than I expected! I'm now unsure what to do with it next (re-release at the next meetup, or try and get it a wider audience via a bookray?).
Set in Edinburgh, although there's not much recognisable to hang onto, it centres around 3 main characters: Amber (an exotic dancer), Beth (works in a chip shop) and George (on a stag night, dressed as a monkey). They all co-incide one night and a series of events spiral them together. As we read about the events of the night, we find out more about each individual, their backgrounds & how they all interelate even though they don't realise it.
I don't want to say too much about it, as you need to read it! I'll just say that I loved the characters and how they are drawn. I loved some of the incidental characters: shark boy, the Elvis style chip shop owner. I loved the way the author pulls all the strings together and how she made me care about what happens to everybody.
Well worth reading!
Set in Edinburgh, although there's not much recognisable to hang onto, it centres around 3 main characters: Amber (an exotic dancer), Beth (works in a chip shop) and George (on a stag night, dressed as a monkey). They all co-incide one night and a series of events spiral them together. As we read about the events of the night, we find out more about each individual, their backgrounds & how they all interelate even though they don't realise it.
I don't want to say too much about it, as you need to read it! I'll just say that I loved the characters and how they are drawn. I loved some of the incidental characters: shark boy, the Elvis style chip shop owner. I loved the way the author pulls all the strings together and how she made me care about what happens to everybody.
Well worth reading!
March 16, 2014
I read this as part of a bookcrossing ring. Here is my review:
Mixed feelings on this one. Didn't love it or hate it.
Idea and characters are certainly more original than your average book. Really liked all three of them and would have rated this quite highly in the first part of the book. Then there does seem to be a bit of a slump where the story drags and I found I wasn't enjoying it quite so much, which lead to me taking a little longer to get through this than I would have liked. It does pick up again with Amber's revelation, and then again at the end when all the stories tie in together.
Overall I liked it, and I'm glad I had the chance to read this. I don't think it is one I would read again and I'm not sure I would seek out other stories by this author. Then again, if one came my way, I would give it a go, as I think she has potential (I am assuming this is her first book? I could be wrong on that).
The message at the end, to live left to the full was a good one, even though the means of doing it here are a bit shady!
Mixed feelings on this one. Didn't love it or hate it.
Idea and characters are certainly more original than your average book. Really liked all three of them and would have rated this quite highly in the first part of the book. Then there does seem to be a bit of a slump where the story drags and I found I wasn't enjoying it quite so much, which lead to me taking a little longer to get through this than I would have liked. It does pick up again with Amber's revelation, and then again at the end when all the stories tie in together.
Overall I liked it, and I'm glad I had the chance to read this. I don't think it is one I would read again and I'm not sure I would seek out other stories by this author. Then again, if one came my way, I would give it a go, as I think she has potential (I am assuming this is her first book? I could be wrong on that).
The message at the end, to live left to the full was a good one, even though the means of doing it here are a bit shady!
April 14, 2013
"Sex, tattoos, potatoes, drugs, monkeys, angels and pole-dancing are just a few things you can expect from Vicki Jarrett’s début novel, Nothing is Heavy.
Shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2011, Nothing is Heavy steps into the lives of local late-night chippie worker Beth, pole-dancer Amber and the apathetic and broken-hearted George." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
Shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2011, Nothing is Heavy steps into the lives of local late-night chippie worker Beth, pole-dancer Amber and the apathetic and broken-hearted George." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
October 31, 2012
A beautifully crafted book which brings together three broken characters on one fateful Saturday. What do gorillas, angels and a chip shop have to do with each other? Well, in Vicki Jarrett's fast-paced darkly comic novel fates are intertwined and everyone has a part to play in the final resolution.
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December 11, 2013Coincidences and strange encounters - fate? I found the beginning of the book difficult, but enjoyed it more once Beth and Amber began their getaway. George comes off as a slightly pathetic figure, which is a bit of a shame. I ended up being quite captivated by this - glad of the bookcrossing ring which brought it to my attention.
October 8, 2012
This is such an unique book, unlike anything else out there! It takes place one night on a street that could be anywhere in the UK that has dodgy nightlife, strip clubs and chippies. Fast plot, funny and full of wry observations, and a great human/monkey character, George.
January 19, 2013
Memorably different characters and the street where much of the action takes place a well-drawn stage, tragedy and humour and a host of coincidences. Very well-written.
And very true that the story stays with you after it's read. Impressive, that.
And very true that the story stays with you after it's read. Impressive, that.
March 31, 2013
A lovely easy to read book with a whimsical nature. The imagery is carefully woven, and lovingly described. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
January 13, 2014
Great, believable characters and a plot that kept me turning those pages. Jarrett is an exciting new author and I look forward to seeing what else she has up her sleeve.
November 13, 2015
A profound and witty read that I would recommend to anyone. It makes you want to go out and live life more fully--and yet not put the book down.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews