Scabby Queen

Scabby Queen is the story of Cliodhna Campbell told from the point of view of several people whose lives she touched. An activist all her life championing various political causes, she enjoyed a brief period of fame when her anti poll tax single Rise Up topped the charts.The book starts in 2018 with Clio's suicide, so it's clear from the outset that hers will not always be a happy tale. The chapters bounce back and forth through the 50 or so years of her existence, cleverly building up a detailed picture of a very complex multi-faceted character. And yet we never hear Clio's own voice - the closest we get is when an acquaintance is in earshot of one of her political rants.It's a fascinating study of a chaotic, passionate, idealistic, frustrating and ultimately frustrated woman. She rides roughshod over her friends in her single-minded pursuit of justice and equality, and yet can be fun, charming and dynamic. Cliodhna Campbell is a whirlwind of contradictions and this is her story by the people who knew her - however briefly.

It is sprawling, baggy, sometimes confusing. It tries to cover everything, a whole history, a whole biography, a mass of political events and movements (hippies, feminists, miners and Thatcherism, undercover cops, Indy ref and nationalism…).But it’s also funny, incisive, warm, moving, and beautifully observed and paced.Like its protagonist, it’s both infuriating and utterly wonderful. And both those things are, in the end, good.

Begins well and there is good writing throughout. Fraught by too much use of switching time and more than enough people. It makes for characters that one does not care about. The scene and story are caught, but little feeling is captured for the reader.

It's incredible that this is only Innes' second novel, after her incredible debut, Fishnet. Scabby Queen is such an accomplished piece of work and its subject character, Clio, is a wonderfully human creation whose passion sings from the pages. She's certainly a complex person but I never found that her foibles got in the way of my empathy for her, even as she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake.As well as a cast iron grip on character, Innes has absolutely nailed dialogue in a way that much more experienced writers can only dream of. This was notable in Fishnet but in Scabby Queen a number of the book's set pieces absolutely leap off the page thanks to Innes's wonderful ear for the way people speak. The story is told from multiple viewpoints but every narrator has a unique voice.Scabby Queen is a stunning piece of work and Innes has proven to be an extraordinary talent.

A brilliant and brave book which explores issues around equality across gender, race, and social class, and parcels it all up in the 360 perspective of a central character. The way the book is written in statements, giving often conflicting views of Clio, is compelling, and allows the narrative to develop gradually, building a picture with a powerful ending. The author’s writing style is captivating - I felt like a teenager reading Irvine Welsh again at points, and it was so lyrical and poetic in other parts. This book has brought me back to fiction. I loved it. I bought it for a few friends too who all resonated with the themes around feminism, politics and vulnerability.

Scabby Queen is a really hard, gritty story set in London and Scotland over a period of 40 years. It is told from multi-perspective from the people who knew Clio Campbell – the one hit wonder and political activist. Clio Campbell has committed suicide and those that saw her at her best and at her worst reminisce about the times she influenced their own lives. Kirstin Innes has created a wonderfully unlikable character in Clio Campbell. She really is awful. Yet you cannot feel sorry for her. She is a product of her environment and the situations that she has been involved in, the relationships she has had – especially the ones she had in her formative years with her parents. I won’t lie to you, Scabby Queen is not an easy read. You want to love Clio but she makes it really difficult and you will spend a lot of your time yelling at the other characters to realise how toxic she is but it really is a good read.Scabby Queen by Kirstin Innes is available now.

An absolute belter of a book. A captivating portrait of a complicated and uncompromising woman. Going on the journey of Clio is thought provoking, shocking at times and immensely moving. I couldn't recommend this book enough for a gratifying and intelligent read.

There were aspects I really enjoyed but the biggest issue for me was that the dialogue was caricature like, particularly the minority voices. I wonder what this could have been without being so dialogue heavy.