Spin Cycle

by Zoë Strachan

Agnes, Siobhan and Myrna all work in their local launderette. Agnes, betrayed by her husband, is fascinated by tales of true crime -- particularly the murder of her glamorous cousin Vina, killed years ago. Myrna, meanwhile, dreams of romance but craves sex and money; with mounting debts, she enters a shadowy world fraught with danger. Siobhan, the most reclusive of the three, spends her time conjuring the details of people's lives through their laundry -- her fantasies becoming gradually more and more treacherous.

Blacker and more ambitious than "Negative Space," Zoe Strachan's vibrant second novel is illuminated by her light observational touch, deft characterization and gift for creating -- and sustaining -- suspense.

Genres: Fiction, Scotland

Paperback

First published August 20, 2004

About the author

Zoë Strachan was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in 1975. She is the author of three novels: Ever Fallen in Love, Spin Cycle and Negative Space.

Ever Fallen in Love was shortlisted for the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards and the Green Carnation Prize and nominated for the London Book Awards. Negative Space won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book of the Year Award.

In 2003 The Independent on Sunday listed her in their top twenty novelists under 30, and the Scottish Review of Books selected her as one of their new generation of five young Scottish authors in 2011. Her short stories and essays have been included in numerous journals and anthologies, she contributes journalism to various newspapers and magazines and her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3. She has been UNESCO City of Literature writer-in-residence at the National Museum of Scotland, a Hermann Kesten Stipendiaten, a Hawthornden Fellow, a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellow and in 2011 she undertook a British Council visiting fellowship at the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa.

Recent works for theatre are Panic Patterns (with Louise Welsh, Citizen's Theatre and BBC Radio Scotland) and Old Girls (which opened the 2009/10 season of A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor in Glasgow). Her short opera Sublimation (with composer Nick Fells) toured Scotland in May 2010 with Scottish Opera before going to Cape Town, South Africa in November 2010. The Lady from the Sea, a full-length opera composed by Craig Armstrong and based on the play by Ibsen, premieres at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

Reviews

[caoimhe murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely draws u in but tbh my head wasn’t in the focusing mood so I found it difficult to keep up with the different perspectives

[Sina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoë Strachan is definately a master of words. She depicts perfectly the interrelated lives of three women who work in a launderette: their fight against oppresion and their struggle to be themselves in a world that bombards them with women magazines and beauty advice. Although dark, the novel is also hopeful and enhances the understanding among women and friendship. In the beginning the story seems to be loose, but then you realise the author is weaving the story perfectly. The novel is witty and sometimes hilarious and ends up catching your attention. I must say I enjoyed the reading. Nevertheless, I am afraid the story itself is not gripping enough to deserve more than 3 stars.

[SadieReadsAgain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just wonderful, I seriously adore this woman. I mean, I love reading books set in Glasgow, or Scotland in general, but that's not just what I love about her books. She's such a great author - I love her way with words, the darkness and black humour that lurk just under the surface. The emotions she puts forth too, more so in Negative Space than this I'll admit, are very real. I loved this book.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meandering, slow story with characters I didn't really give a toss about.

That said, it was well-written and evidenced a vast quantity of well-used observations. I just wish I could remember what it was about 'Negative Space' which made me add this writer to my 'look out for more' list.

[Paul French · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1990 I used to get my laundry done in a laundrette in Glasgow that might as well have been this one - it was such an accurate description of the place and the mad Glaswegian biddy's that worked

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is gritty, real and moving. Reminiscent of a female version of an Irvine Walsh book. More please !