Love Will Tear Us Apart by Scott Bissett

Compelling, Emotional, Meticulous

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Family Drama/Relationship Fiction

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Scott Bissett - Author

‘You can start anew at any given moment. Life is just the passage of time, and its up to you to pass it as you please (Charlotte Eriksson)……….but is it right to disregard others and just leave them behind because life got too hard or you don’t want to face up to what people think of you? Especially when those who were not directly involved get swept along in the melee and consciously or not, become collateral damage…...to leave people behind without an explanation, only thinking of yourself. The passage of time had been something that Jamie had tried not to acknowledge too much, losing himself in a place that didn’t recognise his past and is constantly re-inventing itself and the people in it, if they choose to let it. He needn’t be the same person from one day to the next if he chose not to be. But in his home town and to the people that mattered, he was, and always would be plain old Jamie Kirkwood.

So, having read Scott’s first novel and loved it, I really didn’t want to postpone reading his second. From what I understand, he is working on his third which I am eagerly anticipating. Having established that Scott’s writing was right up my street, and that he sets his novels (so far anyway) in the place of my birth, I think he has, in a very short time become one of my favourite independent authors which I am thrilled about, not only because I follow a large number of independent authors on social media, but because not many of them are male, a fact I have felt quite awkward about. So to have found Scott has suppressed that guilt a little. I am overwhelmed at the amount of detail in this epic novel and the amount of research he perhaps must have had to have done into the workings of the music industry. I am also deeply impressed at his ability to contrive titles for record labels, song titles and also create lyrics. I was so convinced at one point that this diverse little group of characters had in fact once been real, that I had to Google, it was that plausible. I also found myself at many junctures throughout the book feeling like I was reading a novel by a well established author. I also must mention that in other books of a similar theme, everything is fiction. In this case, it was a pleasant surprise that Scott included ‘groups’ from real life. It added to the narrative’s authenticity for me. I’m trying not to give anything away here, but I hope that the Author and other readers, once they have read the novel, will know to what I am referring, and appreciate my sentiment.

The personalities of the characters, their moods and even their images come through so vividly and tangibly. The writing is eloquent, clear and effective. This book in particular has so many layers to it, just when you think you have got all you are going to get, the narrative goes into another direction giving the storyline and the characters so many facets. Not only that, but in a book with so many subplots coming off the main theme and so many characters, the author could be forgiven for omitting to conclude a loose end here or there, but he absolutely hasn’t. He picked up a thread from a short way into the story, and revisited it at the end that I’d forgotten had even taken place! One element occasionally included in books which I love, but is a rare thing unless it is part of an intended series, is characters from an Author’s previous book appearing in a future one. Kudos to Scott for this though, I screamed! When the scene in which it could only happened presented itself, I was hoping that this was going to be the case, and I was happily rewarded. In my review for his first novel ‘Me, You and Your Girlfriend’, I neglected to mention my views on the format, and unlike Kate, I found that format, writing each chapter from a different character’s point of view, quite difficult to follow (probably my age). However, in ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, the format is just straightforwardly titled and numbered chapters. This I found personally, somewhat easier to read, and I love the explanation of the chapter names in the back as I had noticed some relevance to a number of them. The chapters are kept to a good length with the volume based in the number of chapters rather than the length of them, which is a configuration I prefer. It felt very easy to read. Basically, at this point, everything I like in a book, Scott pretty much does.

The characters were a stoic wholesome bunch, but then if you know anything about the people of Scotland, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Rather than lose face, our main character has buried himself deep in the hustle and bustle of a city. I very much enjoyed the development of this character and the emotional trip that he is really given no option on which to embark, having little expectation of it and in fact assumes the worst, but in the end, it unravels as a journey of self discovery, where he is reunited with the best of himself. The initial twist in the story and the introduction of Christopher, dredges up memories from the past and forces him to put someone else’s wishes before his own. A huge act of selflessness for his old friend that sees him re-establish connections from his youth.

The other main players in the story were all very different and it was nice to see the transition of them from the defensive characters they were to begin with, not sure whether to take a chance on ‘another shot at history’. But after conversations that should have taken place three decades since, you begin to see their attitudes soften and bonds re-form. Shona was probably my favourite character as she turned out to be exactly as I had her in my head. There are many laughs in this novel such as the daft banter between Dougie and Shona, the Breakfast Club quotes, Michelle’s backhanded comment after witnessing Jamie’s initial return to his old stomping ground, and the well deserved humiliation of ‘Sandy’. Equally, the heart breaking scenes were so palpable and I did shed a tear at the predicament of Janice, and Jamie’s fears for the future. When Renny rescues Jamie’s solo, it is simultaneously both heart warming and heart wrenching. The encounter with Davie did immediately ring warning bells for me, and where Scott took that plot line not only furthered Davie’s part in the story but ended another’s. I have generally got quite good at seeing curveballs and bombshells before they hit me in the face or explode, but when a final secret is uncovered towards the end, it took me a minute to process it. I totally did not see that coming. It was such an unexpected addition to an already diligently constructed piece of literature, giving the reader yet another new thread and a new character.