“These are bleak and beautiful stories … so various and brilliant in such crazy ways that it is impossible to encapsulate this book’s many splendors.”
—James DeRossit, Review of Contemporary Fiction
“Common to these portraits of the downtrodden and the self-defeated are a dark hilarity and a lyricism … slashing through with razor-sharp emphasis.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“James Kelman [should be] a household name in America…. Busted Scotch is filled with compelling, arresting portraits.”
—David W. Madden, San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle Book Review
“[Kelman’s] stories are a prose poetry of unparalleled vividness and pungency.”
—Ray Olson, Booklist
“Kelman is a brilliant aural portraitist … and a writer utterly unfazed by risk.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] treat for American readers…. No one writes stories like these.”
—Corey Mesler, Memphis Commercial Appeal
“Kelman is a hero to the newer generation of Scottish writers … and it’s easy to see why…. In a word, he’s brilliant.”
—Jeff Baker, Portland Oregonian