Paper Cup

Product Information

An old English teacher of mine liked to quote that Tennessee Williams line from A Streetcar Named Desire. “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. Recommended for anyone looking for a story about compassion, about the family you make rather than the one you’re born into. Adjacent to Shuggie Bain with a bit of Trainspotting thrown in. Our 'heroine' is of course, human, She's made mistakes, she's got weaknesses, she's also got her own moral code and can exceed expectations. The 'quest' that takes us through not only Scotland and its residents (human and canine) but also through Kelly's past. Which at times is traumatic.

For the majority of this, I was completely and utterly in love. I loved our flawed main character, the writing style and the contrast between bustling Glasgow and the small towns of Galloway (especially in the phonetic language, very clever)! Safe in their hoose with their telly and their walls, they have no concept of a soul’s fragility. Nobody does, until they are made vulnerable themselves. Strip away your trappings, rip off your shell and let’s see how hard you are. When you beg, you have to think of everything. How you look, how you sit. Where you sit. In what manner do you hold out your hand? Cupped (greedy)? Outstretched (pathetic)?” This book was set in Glasgow and Scotland, which was a nice change for me. The audio delivery was amazing, and I loved the accents. The story flowed seamlessly and the narrator was in full command of the story. This is where I imagine authors are left feeling their book is in good hands, Caroline Guthrie was the right choice. Campbell, aformer police officer and winner of the Best New Scottish Writer Award in 2009, said: " Paper Cup is a story about a woman who has nobody and nothing. Who tells herself it’s better that way, because no one can let her down – and she can’t hurt folk either. But Kelly was once a girl with hopes and plans, same as everyone else. So Paper Cup is me, following her on her journey, to see if that girl is still inside. Canongate are my dream publisher, and I’m delighted at the love they’ve already shown Kelly and her crew." Scottish writer Karen Campbell is the author of eight novels. Her latest book Paper Cup is published by Canongate. Previous novels include The Sound of the Hours, Rise and This Is Where I Am, all Bloomsbury, and The Twilight Time, After the Fire, Shadowplay and Proof of Life, all Hodder. A graduate of Glasgow University’s Creative Writing Masters, Karen also teaches creative writing.

The language itself was also beautiful, incredibly realistic and will strike right at the heart of those who live in Scotland, particularly the West of Scotland. I am not sure how other non-natives may feel about it however I don't believe you would get an accurate portrayal of the story without it. Paper Cup, for me, was quite a hard and slow read. It is written in Scottish dialect and sometimes I failed to understand the words, however, it is also a poignant, harrowing, yet incredible read. Ach, just read this book. I’ve never read anything that made me care so much. About anything. And whatever your journey, whatever your pilgrimage, remember to be kind to strangers. After all, it’s later than you think. Kelly is used to being starving, to ignoring the rumble in her stomach even when it becomes a roar. Kelly is used to eating out of bins. Carefully watching office workers rush by on their lunchbreak, throwing away half eaten sandwiches. When I returned my copy to my local library yesterday, I felt kind of sad. Like a piece of me was missing. I was so used to seeing it all over the house as I was reading it. I took it everywhere. This is a story that I’ll carry around with me, and ponder on, for a long, long time.

On her journey from Glasgow to the south-west tip of Scotland, Kelly encounters ancient pilgrim routes, hostile humans, hippies, book lovers and a friendly dog, as memories stir and the people she thought she’d left behind forever move closer with every step. As the story progresses, it’s clear that Kelly has tried – and failed – to resist one hell of a lot. And what Karen does brilliantly is to convey that struggle with real empathy. And Kelly is a raw and brilliant commentator on the terrible injustices inflicted on the voiceless and the faceless, not least when she shares a shelter with a couple, seeking asylum and expecting a child. I’m not sure you will find a better novel featuring a homeless young woman and hearing everything she goes through daily, from being treated like she is a thief, scum, a nobody or just being invisible to most people who walk by her, Kelly has it tough but she would rather endure this than return to her home. A] poignant and harrowing read. Campbell gambles on our empathy when she shows Kelly at her worst, and she wins because she has written, without judgment or criticism, an original and memorable protagonist; one who moves through a landscape described with love and care, and whose interior voice will continue to ring in the reader's head even after the long journey's end is reached -- CLAIRE FULLER * * Guardian * * I helped you when you needed help. That’s it. Why complicate things? It’s an investment. Maybe it will be there when we need it. We all need kindness”.It’s worth it though, to be free to live exactly as you please. There are no restrictions except her own. Yes there is weather, but weather brings sun as well as rain. There are no roofs, but there is boundless sky. The sky reminds her of the sea and home. The Writer Karen Campbell is a former police officer and press officer for Glasgow City Council. This shows as she succinctly describes the increasing desperation of Kelly’s situation, resulting in her living on the streets, despite the efforts of social workers. This tale begins with a group of young women on a hen night. They are so drunk that the bride gives her engagement ring to Kelly, a homeless woman, who has been begging on the streets of George Square in Glasgow. They tell Kelly that Susan is getting married to Connor in Gatehouse of Fleet, in Dumfries and Galloway, in a few days’ time. The drunken hen party leave Kelly with the engagement ring.

While this could have been a downer of a read, it was not. There was compassion, humor, tenderness in unexpected places, and a sense of purpose and hope beyond all reason that buoyed the story even as it dealt with harsh realities. Occasional bit players popping in and out broadened the character base and brought more depth to the story. Kelly seems to give without asking for any return. She will break your heart along the way if you decide to take this journey with her. The book certainly had a portion of whimsy, and things seemed to contain an element of good timing, but this did not detract my sheer delight of enjoying a full five star experience. It simply is a wonderful book. This is one of the most emotional books I’ve read in a very long time and by the end of it I really felt like I’d been through the wringer - but it was totally worth it. While the story may sound stark, it’s anything but. It has a warmth and humour. It shows the love and friendships that can occur between people of all social stratas. The companionship that animals provide. And how strangers could well surprise you.Throughout the book we get glimpses of Kelly’s past, giving hints at how she ended up on the streets after what seemed like a fairly privileged upbringing. I loved how these parts of the story were randomly inserted into the story, it was almost as if they were thoughts creeping into Kelly’s mind, reminding her of who she was, who she’s become and maybe who she really wants to be. It also shows how easy it can be for people to become homeless but how difficult it can be to escape. Kelly is used to people walking past and ignoring her. To simply see their shoes and legs, rarely their faces. As how do you look a homeless person in the eye? And if you do, what do you say to them? A voyage of self-discovery, the audiobook encapsulates the vulnerable and very human Kelly in a worldly-wise yet still likeable Scottish voice. It's third person but still works as an audiobook you feel connected to. Kelly's is the life we wouldn't want for our children, the one we often try and ignore when we see it, and it's upsetting to see behind the overcoat and dirt to the person underneath. The person. On her journey down to the south-west tip of Scotland, Kelly encounters ancient pilgrim routes, hostile humans, hippies, book lovers and a friendly dog, as memories stir and the people she thought she’d left behind forever, move closer with every step. But it’s never judgemental. The posh divorcee who feeds Kelly (and her dog) on her pilgrimage seems almost offended when asked why she did it.

I mean, how incredibly tough would it be to be homeless? To literally have all your possessions on your person. And how much harder to be a homeless woman, with the incidences of violence more prevalent. Not a topic most of us want to think about, and I always despair of the people I see begging on the streets of my beautiful City. It simply doesn’t make sense that this should still be occurring, when there is more than enough to go around. But help is tied up in layers of bureaucracy that people are unable to deal with. Then at the balance let’s be mute / we never can adjust it / what’s done we partly may compute, but know not what’s resisted”. Kelly is living rough in all aspects, an alcoholic who seems to have accepted her lot in life, something dreadful has happened with someone she loves dearly earlier in her life, and she will not return home. The way this story unfolds shows simply not how hard it would be to walk a mile in her shoes, or how impossible it would be to sleep on the streets, or how awful one is treated when begging. It is more than that. It shows the desperation of one human being who believes it is what she deserves, the ability for this person to still see good in what she is in the midst of, and the select few who still help and care. The blatant experience with what seemed to me an almost non existant support and welfare agency was frustrating, Kelly certainly was buried deep in loss. One wanted this woman to get there, wherever there was. Campbell followed the Cameron quartet with three more novels, including one set in Italy during the Second World War. Now comes Paper Cup, a new novel with a new publisher – Edinburgh-based powerhouse Canongate. Karen Campbell is an extraordinary storyteller. She has a deft touch leading you through the narrative with complete enjoyment. There is not a word out of place or a sentiment that is wrong.I was rooting for Kelly, along with the people rooting for her whether she knew it or not. It’s so beautifully written and so specifically Scottish, with a smattering of Scots language, that it felt like home. It’s funny, and painful, and poignant and so compassionate. It might be a work of fiction but we all know Kelly. We’ve seen her, or him, sitting outside on the pavement with their paper cup, asking for nothing but 20p and possibly a sandwich. In this world, in 2022, this shouldn’t be happening but it still is - this series of nets lets people slip through. If nothing else, this book casts a light into that shadow and will hopefully encourage readers to volunteer, to add to that cup, to see that person as a person. Kelly’s story is gently teased out to the reader in small increments, through past drunken stories, childhood memories, and the experiences which led her to where she is today. No possessions, no money, and the constant choice between some hot chips and cheap booze. Kelly has suffered so much, and her ability to see glimpses of positivity made me love this story. I wanted to write something about vulnerability,” Campbell explains when I ask her about the starting point for Paper Cup. “A kind of kernel of an idea can just be an emotion. Then you circle round it and you start thinking what would be the best way to explore that? I thought about somebody who is just stripped of everything, exposed.”