The building trade in the west of Scotland has slowed, and Mac leaves his home and his companions in the Paxton Arms for the oil-rich north to seek his fortune. But he soon finds himself out in the wilderness, chasing the promise of a job. In the meantime, he’s fallen for Nancy, but he can’t tear himself away from the allure of the drink.

Agnes Owens is one of the most distinctive and entertaining novelists. Her strength lies in her straightforward storytelling; she understands how laughter and alcohol are vital antidotes to the life of an out-of-work bricklayer.

'I cannot wait for a new generation of readers to re-discover the work of Agnes Owens' – Douglas Stuart

'Owens gives us the ordinary as already enough, already weighty, already strange' – Kirsty Logan

'Agnes Owens has a canny eye for tragicomedy, a compassionate heart for the unfortunate, an acute ear for dialogue' – Financial Times

Published to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

"

'Has something in common with early Billy Connolly . . . in the sense that its observation and timing bring humour to a sad reality'