A review by adam_mcphee
How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman

5.0

Sammy, waking up drunk in public, gets beaten blind by the cops. He stumbles around Glasgow, trying to sign up for the giro and dealing with police who don't tell him why he's being questioned about a drunken night he can't remember, all without the use of his eyes.

I liked Ally, Sammy's advocate at the DSS, whose weird optimism and familiarity with the law and medicine despite a lack of any formal training brought to mind Dr. Reo Symes. It's a shame the character doesn't amount to much.

Think Kafka meeting Irvine Welsh, with a splash of Charles Portis.