<p>‘Scottish fiction has a long history of state-of-the-nation novels that examine the collision of myth and reality. Think of Robert Louis Stevenson’s <em>Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde</em>, Alasdair Gray’s surreal fantasy <em>Lanark</em> or James Robertson’s sweeping epic <em>And the Land Lay Still</em>. <strong>To their ranks can now be added <em>Scabby Queen</em></strong> … as complex, tragic and bewitching as the woman at its heart’ <em>iNews</em></p>
<p>‘<strong>A life and death struggle of a book</strong>: wounded, angry, beautiful, righteous, beaten and triumphant’ A. L. Kennedy, author of <em>Serious Sweet</em></p>
<p>‘<strong>Kirstin Innes is the queen of rebel women </strong>and her characters shine with deep, luminous humanity’ Emma Jane Unsworth, author of <em>Adults</em></p>
<p>‘<strong>Totally immersive</strong> and gloriously polyphonic’ Sophie Mackintosh, author of <em>The Water Cure</em></p>
<p>‘From its delectable title to its heart-swelling final pages, <strong>this book bursts with energy and chutzpah</strong>’ <em>Big Issue</em></p>
<p>‘A fat, firecracker of a book … It’s about women and silence, oddballs and adventurers and stupid mistakes; about ‘no need to worry about me’ Scottishness and 'getting by’ as practised by every culture on earth. <strong>Best of all, it’s about joy and hope and the pressing need to seize the day while one can</strong>’ Janice Galloway, author of <em>The Trick Is to Keep Breathing</em></p>
<p>‘Innes’s range is as wide as Clio’s passions … The supporting characters are vividly drawn, and Clio herself is always larger than life – This is an opportune state-of-the nation novel with a feminist heart.’ <em>Guardian</em></p>
<p>'<strong>An absolute inspiration</strong> … Since I finished<em> Scabby Queen</em> I’ve found myself on many ocassions thinking “What would Clio do?” … Although the fictional Clio exist only in the patchwork memories of others, Kirstin Innes conjures a vivid portrayal of a creative, determined, fiery working-class woman.’ <em>Scotsman</em></p>