The Dawson family have been forced to move to a new flat after their old home has been condemned. As soon as they move in, they get on the wrong side of one of their downstairs neighbours, Mrs Webb. Complaints about noise lead to the Dawson family dog being put down. Meanwhile, at their old block, Shanky Devine is refusing to leave his flat, even though the bulldozers are set to move in. Across the landing from him, a tinker family have taken up residence. The disappearance of their teenage daughter leads them to point the finger at Shanky. What joins these stories together are the intermediary characters. Young Peter Dawson misses his old flat and goes back there only to be befriended by Shanky. He meets the tinker family too. A social worker deals with the Dawsons and Shanky. And finally a local councillor, ambitious and without scruples, has his part to play.

Owens interweaves the threads well, allowing the drama to play out in a dark but down-to-earth manner. Gossip, paranoia, downtrodden wives and mothers, nosy neighbours, the stuff of everyday life is here. The humour is deadpan, like the moments of violence. There are two dead bodies by the end of it, and the perpetrator is really no surprise. In that respect, this novella fails to pack a punch. It’s entertaining enough, and features the poorest sections of society who don’t appear in fiction very often. Individual psychology and social conditions drive the narrative. Characterisation is excellent. It’s easy to believe these people really exist. And Owens has got the voice of poor Glaswegians just right. And yet, there’s the niggling feeling that something is missing. We’re not really learning anything new.

‘Jen’s Party’ is another humorous tale, but much lighter in tone. Young Jen lives with her mother and eccentric aunt Belle. Belle’s income is partly derived from shoplifting, which she’s quite shameless about. Jen’s birthday is approaching and Belle promises her a party. The problem is that Jen only has one friend, and is terrified no one will turn up. Belle, though, is unfazed. She seems to have something up her sleeve.

Again, Owens shows her masterly grip of characterisation, humour and dialogue. It’s believable, but, like the first story, appears to be set in the past. Jen’s mother, Maude, uses a wringer for the laundry. In ‘Bad Attitudes’ corporal punishment still exists. Drugs don’t seem to exist in these worlds, let alone mobile phones, videos or computers. In other respects, though, the stories, are modern, due to the timeless quality to the characters and environments. Petty squabbling, the frustrations of lives that have not turned out as the characters wished, women struggling on unappreciated, teenagers who don’t fit in with their peers, relationships between sisters: these are repeating themes through the two novellas. The sisters Belle and Maude of the second story find their counterparts in the tinker sisters of the first tale. The mother of Jen’s friend has her counterpart in Mrs Webb of ‘Bad Attitudes.’ Both women look down their noses at their more common neighbours.

Ultimately, there’s something more endearing about the characters of ‘Jen’s Party.’ Belle’s outrageous lies, her thieving, her good-hearted machinations, are thoroughly entertaining. ‘Bad Attitudes’ has a sharper edge, a bigger cast. While neither novella offers a new insight into the lives of those on the margins of society, they are entertaining, wickedly humorous, and stuffed full of character.

Kara Kellar Bell is a film and media graduate from the West of Scotland, with a passion for European novels, French films, silent cinema, and Brazilian music (everything from Daniela Mercury and other pop stars through to bossa nova). As a writer, she likes to have room to move around creatively, so she’s not located in one genre. She writes realism and also stories of a more fantastic nature, usually grounded to some extent in the real world. She also takes delight in writing across the sexual spectrum, and as a bisexual, considers it important to remind people that things are not always black and white, either/or, in sexuality or in gender. For a selection of Kara’s writing on the Showcase section of this site, click here

© 2004 Laura Hird All rights reserved.