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Liberties
Glasgow 1998: Arthur Coyle is seventy-one, having tragically lost his son and shortly thereafter, his wife, he feels alone in the world; a relic from a bygone age when things were simpler, when people understood the order of things, and respect for those that had come before you was universal. He only wants some of the same whilst running down the clock until his own time inevitably
comes.
His best friend, Tam O’Henry, and his pride and joy—his grandson, Danny—are what keep him going. However, after falling on hard times, and too proud to ask for help, Tam succumbs to the offer of a loan from a local gangster and quickly spirals into a world of intimidation and torment at the hands of the ruthless Harry Mullin and his associates.
Danny Coyle is twenty years old. He lives with his mother, just the two of them, his father having died when he was a child. An intelligent young man, he’s the first of the Coyles to be accepted to university. His time there is short-lived though, and he finds himself on the dole with his loyal, but miscreant friends. Gaining employment, to his initial displeasure, he ultimately finds a father figure in his boss, Joe. The dynamic is complicated with Joe’s revelation that he too knew Danny’s father, and knows the secret behind his death.
Liberties is a novel of 92,000 words written entirely in the Glaswegian/ west Scotland dialect of Scots. It deals with the everyday lives of working class people and their struggles with poverty, addiction and crime. It is the first work from a young Glasgow writer.
Extracts have been published in Lumpen Journal, The Selkie, and an anthology of radical prose, Ghosts of the Early Morning Shift, published by Culture Matters and New Writing Scotland 40, published by The Association for Scottish Literature.
comes.
His best friend, Tam O’Henry, and his pride and joy—his grandson, Danny—are what keep him going. However, after falling on hard times, and too proud to ask for help, Tam succumbs to the offer of a loan from a local gangster and quickly spirals into a world of intimidation and torment at the hands of the ruthless Harry Mullin and his associates.
Danny Coyle is twenty years old. He lives with his mother, just the two of them, his father having died when he was a child. An intelligent young man, he’s the first of the Coyles to be accepted to university. His time there is short-lived though, and he finds himself on the dole with his loyal, but miscreant friends. Gaining employment, to his initial displeasure, he ultimately finds a father figure in his boss, Joe. The dynamic is complicated with Joe’s revelation that he too knew Danny’s father, and knows the secret behind his death.
Liberties is a novel of 92,000 words written entirely in the Glaswegian/ west Scotland dialect of Scots. It deals with the everyday lives of working class people and their struggles with poverty, addiction and crime. It is the first work from a young Glasgow writer.
Extracts have been published in Lumpen Journal, The Selkie, and an anthology of radical prose, Ghosts of the Early Morning Shift, published by Culture Matters and New Writing Scotland 40, published by The Association for Scottish Literature.
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2022
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 30, 2022
Although this could be a generalisation, I find a lot of Scottish writers have this knack for setting up a serious and potentially dangerous situation and then making the reader laugh in the process: James Kelman , Alan Warner, Irvine Welsh, Janice Galloway , Ali Smith and this is not limited to fiction, Alan McGee’s account of his time as a head of Creation Records, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gilliespie’s impoverished childhood and Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite’s shenanigans all made me laugh.
Peter Bennett’s novel Liberties is no exception.
The main focus is on two protagonists Arthur and Danny Coyle. The former is a pensioner and is struggling to keep up with life having lost his wife and son. The latter, Danny is Arthur’s grandson, a university dropout, dodging jobs and hanging out with his childhood friend. He harbours thoughts that his dad (Arthur’s son) might have died in unusual ways. This is also 1998, two years into the Blair administration and things aren’t looking so great.
To make matters worse, Arthurs’ mixed up with the loan sharks due to the poor economy and he cannot pay it off and needs Danny’s help. In helping out Danny finds out he is linked with the mobsters in an odd way, which may shed some light on his past.
Yes, there is a plot but Liberties is mainly a novel about the strength ties between family and friends. Danny’s two best friends may be trouble but there’s an unbreakable bond between them especially when one of the friends experiences a loss. Danny also realises that, no matter how fragmented, a family should stick together and both Danny and Arthur learn from each other.
Liberties is also a commentary about social class and the divides that occur, which exposes the so called labour government as a sham. Half of Arthur’s problems would not have occurred if the pension was stable. In one scene Danny and his friends go out for a walk and all three observe what is happening to their lives due to the political situation.
As I said earlier, one trait of Scottish fiction is that there is humour. One of the funniest scenes in the book happens earlier on when Danny finally is employed by a company only to be reprimanded by a senior worker the second he enters the place. The fact that Peter Bennett’s characters uses Scottish dialect just makes the laughs come out louder. There’s a fine line between tragedy and comedy and it’s crossed quite a few times here and I’m glad it does!
There are tender moments too, my personal favourite being Danny coming to terms with his past while James’ Tomorrow is playing on his stereo. It’s gooseflesh inducing and cinematic. if Liberties were to be adapted, I could see this scene having a chilling effect on the audience.
Humour, Pathos, Scottish dialect and bear hug moments. What more could you want from a book? Liberties has it all. it’s a fine read.
Peter Bennett’s novel Liberties is no exception.
The main focus is on two protagonists Arthur and Danny Coyle. The former is a pensioner and is struggling to keep up with life having lost his wife and son. The latter, Danny is Arthur’s grandson, a university dropout, dodging jobs and hanging out with his childhood friend. He harbours thoughts that his dad (Arthur’s son) might have died in unusual ways. This is also 1998, two years into the Blair administration and things aren’t looking so great.
To make matters worse, Arthurs’ mixed up with the loan sharks due to the poor economy and he cannot pay it off and needs Danny’s help. In helping out Danny finds out he is linked with the mobsters in an odd way, which may shed some light on his past.
Yes, there is a plot but Liberties is mainly a novel about the strength ties between family and friends. Danny’s two best friends may be trouble but there’s an unbreakable bond between them especially when one of the friends experiences a loss. Danny also realises that, no matter how fragmented, a family should stick together and both Danny and Arthur learn from each other.
Liberties is also a commentary about social class and the divides that occur, which exposes the so called labour government as a sham. Half of Arthur’s problems would not have occurred if the pension was stable. In one scene Danny and his friends go out for a walk and all three observe what is happening to their lives due to the political situation.
As I said earlier, one trait of Scottish fiction is that there is humour. One of the funniest scenes in the book happens earlier on when Danny finally is employed by a company only to be reprimanded by a senior worker the second he enters the place. The fact that Peter Bennett’s characters uses Scottish dialect just makes the laughs come out louder. There’s a fine line between tragedy and comedy and it’s crossed quite a few times here and I’m glad it does!
There are tender moments too, my personal favourite being Danny coming to terms with his past while James’ Tomorrow is playing on his stereo. It’s gooseflesh inducing and cinematic. if Liberties were to be adapted, I could see this scene having a chilling effect on the audience.
Humour, Pathos, Scottish dialect and bear hug moments. What more could you want from a book? Liberties has it all. it’s a fine read.
February 17, 2023
First things first. What a brilliant cover! Love it. As for the book, man... Totally fucking excellent. Peter's work is shouting out to be made into a TV series. Danny, Arthur, Stevie and gangster Harry are all excellent and believable characters. With a wonderful writing style Liberties is funny as fuck. Set in late 1990s Glasgow not only is it a great story, there's depth too. A book with a social conscience. I truly admire what Peter has done and Liberties is one of my favourite Scottish books from last year. Up there with Jenni Fagan, Mr Welsh, Robin Jenkins and Douglas Stuart. It's a fucking topper. Read it now! Can't wait for the audiobook!
January 15, 2023
Set in Glasgow in the 90s, this novel is a powerful character study of poverty, debt, drugs and, ultimately, family and friendship. It is by turns violent, laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking as you follow the lives of Stevie McShane, Arthur Coyle and his grandson, Danny, as they are each pulled inexorably towards the black hole that is Harry Mullin – the local loan-shark, drug dealer and gangster.
Told in the first person, Bennett builds out the different characters and then weaves in a plot that skilfully links them together. He reels you into an urban landscape of drug dealing and violence, but he’s also just as at ease taking you into the mind of an old man who is trying to make sense of life now that his wife is no longer with him, or the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
For me, the stand out scenes – of which there are many – come through the young boy, Danny, and his two friends. The way the author shows Danny oscillating between loyalty for his friends and wanting to build a different life for himself is brilliantly done.
Bennett has given a voice to people who are strangely absent in the majority of fiction today. No doubt comparisons will be drawn to other Scots writers, but his style and approach are his own – he’s delivered a first novel that deserves to be read widely.
I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
Told in the first person, Bennett builds out the different characters and then weaves in a plot that skilfully links them together. He reels you into an urban landscape of drug dealing and violence, but he’s also just as at ease taking you into the mind of an old man who is trying to make sense of life now that his wife is no longer with him, or the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
For me, the stand out scenes – of which there are many – come through the young boy, Danny, and his two friends. The way the author shows Danny oscillating between loyalty for his friends and wanting to build a different life for himself is brilliantly done.
Bennett has given a voice to people who are strangely absent in the majority of fiction today. No doubt comparisons will be drawn to other Scots writers, but his style and approach are his own – he’s delivered a first novel that deserves to be read widely.
I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
April 7, 2023
Liberties is an authentic representation of working class Glasgow told from three vastly different yet equally compelling perspectives that give a well rounded account of life in Scotland.
The novel, set in the late 90s, provides a social commentary on a wide range of issues that remain all too prevalent to this day, as the characters weave through the hyper masculine environment of the city of Glasgow, rife with drugs, gangs and violence. Through the narratives of the three protagonists, Bennett is able to construct a multifaceted image of the East End of the city, with the flair of each character’s unforgettable personalities and wit directing the way.
Can’t recommend enough for anyone wanting a genuine reflection of working class Scotland. I hope to read more from Bennett in the future.
The novel, set in the late 90s, provides a social commentary on a wide range of issues that remain all too prevalent to this day, as the characters weave through the hyper masculine environment of the city of Glasgow, rife with drugs, gangs and violence. Through the narratives of the three protagonists, Bennett is able to construct a multifaceted image of the East End of the city, with the flair of each character’s unforgettable personalities and wit directing the way.
Can’t recommend enough for anyone wanting a genuine reflection of working class Scotland. I hope to read more from Bennett in the future.
November 25, 2024
A fantastic read. The language and sense of place of Glasgow in the late 90s makes you feel you are are right there.
A wonderful story that is written from the main characters points of view. A real page turner.
A wonderful story that is written from the main characters points of view. A real page turner.
February 21, 2023
This is a great Scottish novel. A great novel anywhere in fact. Accurate and creative telling of working-class lives. A story with dark humour, and emotion. Very enjoyable read and well worth it. I read it twice.
October 31, 2022
Peter Bennett’s Liberties, set in 90s Glasgow, follows a group of connected working class characters as they contend with work / lack of it, benefits / lack of them / drugs / lack of them and money / lack of it.
Poverty here is a trap that sucks you in, doesn’t let go, however hard you try.
Stevie McShane has a drugs debt and to pay off his drug debt he has to sell drugs to pay off this debt. Tam, benefits stopped due to being declared fit for work, borrows money from a loan shark, finds himself unable to pay the money back due to crippling interest rates. Young Danny’s problems are different. His problem are his mates, or one of them, who becomes increasingly more erratic and violent.
But these are not put upon stereotypes. They are, you feel, living and breathing people, well-rounded, bright, thinking. And funny. There are many truly funny episodes in the book.
Bennett’s first book is fabulous and deserves to be a great success.
Poverty here is a trap that sucks you in, doesn’t let go, however hard you try.
Stevie McShane has a drugs debt and to pay off his drug debt he has to sell drugs to pay off this debt. Tam, benefits stopped due to being declared fit for work, borrows money from a loan shark, finds himself unable to pay the money back due to crippling interest rates. Young Danny’s problems are different. His problem are his mates, or one of them, who becomes increasingly more erratic and violent.
But these are not put upon stereotypes. They are, you feel, living and breathing people, well-rounded, bright, thinking. And funny. There are many truly funny episodes in the book.
Bennett’s first book is fabulous and deserves to be a great success.
June 1, 2023
🏴Ah don’t go in fur aw that whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye pish,the future’s no been written yet,know whit an mean?
To take liberties- to act too free and to not show enough respect.
Liberties is a bit of nostalgia to the working class of 1990s Scotland. The author will take ye from 0 to 100 in less than a few pages, taking some dangerous and dark subject matters and making them pure comedy gold. That’s the Scottish way eh?
We are told the story through the lens of 3 main protagonists; Stevie McShane, Arthur Coyle and his young grandson Danny. Each of their lives interwoven by a series of incidents showing the effects of drug abuse down the ages in our society. How the drug of choice may have changed; but the outcomes haven’t.
There’s two things I loved the most in the book: 1, the use of Scots Language throughout and how the use of language changed depending on who was narrating giving it so much authenticity. 2. This is a book about relationships between men, about the inner struggle of a working class man and about the different reflections from three very different generations. Arthur Coyle was my absolute favourite character and at times brought a tear to my eye… the power of friendship and connection is super strong and made this book what it is.
Fans of The Young Team will enjoy!!
To take liberties- to act too free and to not show enough respect.
Liberties is a bit of nostalgia to the working class of 1990s Scotland. The author will take ye from 0 to 100 in less than a few pages, taking some dangerous and dark subject matters and making them pure comedy gold. That’s the Scottish way eh?
We are told the story through the lens of 3 main protagonists; Stevie McShane, Arthur Coyle and his young grandson Danny. Each of their lives interwoven by a series of incidents showing the effects of drug abuse down the ages in our society. How the drug of choice may have changed; but the outcomes haven’t.
There’s two things I loved the most in the book: 1, the use of Scots Language throughout and how the use of language changed depending on who was narrating giving it so much authenticity. 2. This is a book about relationships between men, about the inner struggle of a working class man and about the different reflections from three very different generations. Arthur Coyle was my absolute favourite character and at times brought a tear to my eye… the power of friendship and connection is super strong and made this book what it is.
Fans of The Young Team will enjoy!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews