1982, Janine

The unforgettable, challenging and experimental second novel from the author of Lanark. Introduced by Will Self.

Jock McLeish, failed husband, lover and businessman is alone in a hotel room, drinking whisky, fantasising about sex and contemplating suicide. As he tries to distance himself from reality, his lonely, alcohol-fuelled fantasies are interrupted by a flood of memories, reminding him of his own shortcomings.

An unforgettably imaginative book, deeply experimental in its form and charged with a dark humour, 1982, Janine is a searing portrait of male need and inadequacy. Gray’s exploration of politics, religion, powerlessness and pornography has lost none of its power to shock and entertain.

Alasdair Gray. Paperback. First published 1984, edition published 2019. Canongate. 978-1-78689-396-3