Me and Ma Gal

by Des Dillon

Meet Derruck Danyul Riley and his best mate, Gal. This tale of two inseparable Scottish lads follows their scrapes ‘rowin’ up in Coatbrid’e, from e-huntin’ to outrunning’ the fearsome Bricklayer. Life in Coatbrid’e is not always fun and ‘ames, thou’h, and the boys learn what friendship truly means in the face of dan’er. Des Dillon’s award-winnin’ debut perfectly captures the vitality and intensity of boyhood friendship, as well as paintin’ a vivid picture of contemporary Scotland.

114 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2001

About the author

Des Dillon was born and brought up in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, and studied English at Strathclyde University. A former teacher, he is now a poet, short story writer, novelist and dramatist writing for radio, stage, television and film. He has taught Creative Writing at the Arvon Foundation and was Writer in Residence at Castlemilk, Glasgow, between 1998 and 2000. Des now lives in Galloway with his wife and two dogs, one of whom really did walk on the ceiling during an epileptic fit.

Reviews

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewers quoted on the book cover compared "Me and Ma Gal" with the works of Twain, Fournier, Joyce and Kerouac. Of this I'm not convinced. However, "Me and Ma Gal" is certainly an enchanting, humorous, and evocative story in the day in the lives of two young boys in Glasgow.
I was left with the impression that Dillon had distilled the narrative down to the very essence of the boys relationship, conveyed, not with minimum number of words, but rather exactly the right number.

[Robin Beveridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great easy read, a close look at young boys' world from their point of view, utterly believable, in Scots dialect.

[Amanda Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the Scots dialect and how well I related to the story as it reminded me of my own childhood. Running about the woods, tracks and aww the places my mum telt me no to go haha!

[ANIOTUS Marcus Longmuir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely written coming of age story in Scotland. I think it helps to have been a Scottish boy in the late 20th century; but perhaps it has a broader appeal.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of a Scottish lads most interesting day. Told from the perspective of an 8yr old boy living in Coatbridge this story manages to capture his whole life. Highly recommend this book

[Karen Brankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book,

This story took me back to my childhood, it was so realistic being told through a child's eyes, can't wait to read another of des Dillons books!!

[William O'toole]

Never met Des Dillon but I know him .It's an Airdrie Coatbridge thing.