Sometimes you come across a book that when you read it you are not just seeing words and sentences, you are absorbing them. You are feeling them, experiencing a kind of visceral reaction to what is being laid out in front of you. It's safe to say that Breakers, the latest offering from Doug Johnstone, is one of those books. This is more than just a story or a moralistic tale of the divide between the affluent and the impoverished citizens of Edinburgh. This is a story or survival, of love and of strength which stays with you long after you've turned that last page.
Breakers is the story of Tyler, one of Edinburgh's forgotten children. Living with a mother who is crippled by addiction, and fighting to ensure that his younger sister, Bean, stays safe, he is forced into a life of crime by his older half-siblings. It is a strange scenario that you are faced with as a reader, as Tyler joins his siblings in breaking into people's houses, robbing them of the possessions they have worked so hard for. You shouldn't feel any kind of sympathy for Tyler really - he is ultimately a thief - but Doug Johnstone manages to break down the walls which divide the readers sense of right and wrong very quickly and right from the start of the book I felt a kind of empathy for Tyler, got a real sense of the kind of young man he was trying to become, in spite of the influence of those around him.
Now it's safe to say that something goes horribly wrong very early on in the book, a simple B&E job turning violent and putting Tyler and his family in grave danger. Not only are they left trying to evade detection by the police, but also by the family of the home they broke into, a family who wield a lot of power on Edinburgh's streets and who are hell bent on revenge. It adds a real sense of threat to an already emotionally turbulent read and kept both the characters, and me as reader/voyeur, on edge from start to finish.
But far from simply being a tale about gangland retribution - hunter v hunted - this book takes a look at the relationships within Tyler's life. There is the strained kinship with his siblings, older brother Barry and their sister, Kelly. Barry and Kelly's relationship is twisted, scarred, repulsive even, making it very hard to read about, but not so much that it turns you off completely. The way in which Barry treats his family is shocking, but believable, his bullying ways symptomatic of the way in which he was raised. Barry is the exact opposite to Tyler, using threats and violence to coerce and control those around him. Kelly is weaker and held in Barry's thrall. Whilst I hated Barry from the start, I had mixed reactions about Kelly, part sympathy, part disgust although I felt no strong emotions about what befell either of them.
Tyler however - he's an entirely different matter. I liked Tyler, felt a real sympathy for him and an overwhelming desire to see him come good. In spite of his background, he was a strong and caring young man who would do anything for those he loved, especially his sister, Bean. Seeing how he looked out for her would melt even the hardest heart. Even his consideration for his mother, in spite of her flaws, showed how he had the potential to be more than his circumstances would dictate. And then there is his relationship with Flick, a girl from the other side of the city, their lives poles apart, and yet in spirit they are the same. They make an unlikely but welcome pair, blurring the lines which separate them due to class and prejudice.
Yes - on the surface, this is a book which forces readers to look beyond the gloss and the picture perfect views of Edinburgh that the tourist sees when they make their way up the Royal Mile. It makes you realise that just a few miles away from the overpriced lattes and tourist tat shops lies a whole community that is fighting to keep their place in a city which is becoming increasingly expensive to live in or even visit. That a single turn of a corner can take you from skid row to millionaires row, from fighting to survive to living the life of luxury. Doug Johnstone has painted both worlds so vividly, the narrative so effective, that you feel as though you are the heart of the action yourself, seeing what Tyler sees, feeling all that Tyler feels.
But it is more than this too. It is a story of survival. Of fighting for family, and of how far a young man, barely more than a child himself, will go to protect the ones he loves. Pulled from all sides, Tyler showed immense strength and he is a character it is going to take a while to forget. An emotionally charged, beautifully written and evocative book. Most definitely recommended.
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