Set in 1970s Glasgow, A Bad, Bad Place is a gripping yet deeply human crime novel that explores what happens when violence shatters the life of a child and ripples through a tight-knit community. In this Q&A, the author reflects on the inspirations behind the story, from punk rock and Possilpark to the delicate balance of humour, trauma and suspense.
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In your own words, can you please tell us about A Bad, Bad Place?
Glasgow, 1979. While walking her dog, Sid Vicious, twelve-year-old Janey finds a murdered woman on an abandoned railway – and her innocent childhood ends in a shocking moment of trauma. Janey’s nana, Maggie, is distraught, and when the victim is named as daughter of a local hardman, deeply afraid. Janey claims she can’t remember what she saw that day, but the police think she’s hiding something. And they’re not the only ones interested.
Maggie tries desperately to keep Janey safe but is battling secrets of her own, secrets long buried. As fear and rumour stalk the streets of tight-knit Possilpark, Maggie becomes convinced she will lose her beloved granddaughter forever - especially when Janey starts to remember exactly what happened in that bad, bad place.
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A Bad Bad Place is very much a family-oriented, community story set in 1970s Glasgow. It's rooted in how relationships are put under-strain in out of the ordinary circumstances, what inspired you to include such a 'tight-knitted' community?
My decision on place was straightforward – my own childhood in Glasgow housing estate f Possilpark. I wanted to show that even in the most deprived, notoriously crime ridden communities, there are good people who look after each other.
I’ve also always been interested in characters on the margins, especially minor witnesses whose lives are shattered by events. Like the dog walker who stumbles on the body – they are questioned briefly and sent on their way. What happens to them?
The 1970s was an era when policing was deeply flawed, and perhaps the reader will see parallels with current treatment of victims by both the police and the media, and ask have things changed so much?
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Sid Vicious is 12 year old Janey's dog, what can you tell us a little more about this very specific reference?
Janey named her dog after Sid Vicious, the bass player with punk bank Sex Pistols. Music can play a huge role in children’s lives, and Janey is crazy about punk rock. Punk was also important in my own life, so that was an easy choice. Throughout the novel there are poignant reminders that even Janey’s joyous obsession with music has been tainted by discovering the corpse.
Sid the dog does in fact resemble the real bass player, with spiky fur and a permanent scowl. He is not a handsome dog!
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How did you find balancing a story with dark humor but also the classic thriller elements to the crime genre?
The novel has many of the conventions of crime genre – red herrings, withheld information, revelations and suspects – which are shot through with humour. The themes and plot are undoubtedly serious, but humour is the way that we Glaswegians navigate the dark and the characters would have been unauthenic without it.
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How did your writing style and through process adapt and change to tell the story through the eyes of a child?
It felt important to ensure that Janey’s voice rang true for her age. She is innocent and confused about many things, but also possesses a clarity that adults lose. There are points in the story where Janey understands more about what is going on than her nana, Maggie, but I was careful she did not appear too precocious. And careful to present her as child who has suffered a traumatic experience.
The story is told from both Janey’s viewpoint and from Maggie’s, and to keep the voices distinct, their language differs. For example, Janey uses ‘kids,’ while Maggie uses the more old-fashioned ‘weans.’ Janey also adapts her speech depending on whether she’s talking to an adult or another child, and hopefully this adds to the authenticity.
It was an absolute joy to write Janey’s character, and I hope I have done her, and Maggie, justice.
