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A review by kellylacey
Breakers by Doug Johnstone
5.0
I went into Breakers expecting something quite extraordinary after reading all the reviews and book blogs, the bar was set very high. I finished Breakers exhausted, humbled and truly satisfied. Doug Johnstone has done something truly unique in capturing the very essence of a place and portraying it so honestly and bringing it to life like it was a character and not a place.
We meet Tyler who lives in Niddrie with his junkie mum and his little sister Bean. Tyler's lifestyle is tragic and unfortunately true to life for some people. For me, I had the bonus of knowing the places in the book. I have grown up around them, I live in Musselburgh where the character Flick is from. Niddrie has always in my almost 40 years been known as the "rough" area. I remember dating a boy in high school and that got short shift when my parents knew he lived in Niddrie. Over recent years it has had a huge overhaul and an influx of immigrants have moved into the area. Niddrie Mains was demolished, and private houses went up. There is a difference as you drive through it you can see it, but the past still lingers almost haunting the suburb. There is still trouble in the area and it’s not somewhere you would want to go alone on a nighttime. Niddrie plays a huge role in Breakers and Doug Johnstone captures it perfectly.
Tyler meets Flick who is worlds away from his Niddrie life. Even though it is only about twenty minutes away. She lives in Musselburgh and attends Loretto private school which is a real place and is about a fifteen walk from my house. Growing up
I went to the local grammar school we would never have spoken or hung about with the Loretto girls. Even now, the schools don't mix even though they are very close to each other. Tyler and Flick's worlds colliding has drastic consequences. I enjoyed the balance of the two extremes. Rich and very poor and the dynamic of them coming together was genius.
My journey with Breakers was so enjoyable I didn't want it to stop. It is so realistic, and the characters are so believable. Little Bean has a starring role and I think everyone who reads the book will fall in love with her. The whole reading journey you are disgusted and disturbed that people live like this. It really is one step up from being completely homeless. Living in squalor with little to no food and surrounded with junkies and dangerous people. It feels hopeless and that is the very core of the book. Feeling stuck with the inability to see change or have hope.
Breakers deserves all praise it has been given and then a whole lot more. Doug Johnstone has achieved what many authors attempt but fail to do. He has written fresh and original Scottish crime fiction that has the potential for an amazing series.
Breakers is disturbing, dangerous and heart-breaking, more, please!
We meet Tyler who lives in Niddrie with his junkie mum and his little sister Bean. Tyler's lifestyle is tragic and unfortunately true to life for some people. For me, I had the bonus of knowing the places in the book. I have grown up around them, I live in Musselburgh where the character Flick is from. Niddrie has always in my almost 40 years been known as the "rough" area. I remember dating a boy in high school and that got short shift when my parents knew he lived in Niddrie. Over recent years it has had a huge overhaul and an influx of immigrants have moved into the area. Niddrie Mains was demolished, and private houses went up. There is a difference as you drive through it you can see it, but the past still lingers almost haunting the suburb. There is still trouble in the area and it’s not somewhere you would want to go alone on a nighttime. Niddrie plays a huge role in Breakers and Doug Johnstone captures it perfectly.
Tyler meets Flick who is worlds away from his Niddrie life. Even though it is only about twenty minutes away. She lives in Musselburgh and attends Loretto private school which is a real place and is about a fifteen walk from my house. Growing up
I went to the local grammar school we would never have spoken or hung about with the Loretto girls. Even now, the schools don't mix even though they are very close to each other. Tyler and Flick's worlds colliding has drastic consequences. I enjoyed the balance of the two extremes. Rich and very poor and the dynamic of them coming together was genius.
My journey with Breakers was so enjoyable I didn't want it to stop. It is so realistic, and the characters are so believable. Little Bean has a starring role and I think everyone who reads the book will fall in love with her. The whole reading journey you are disgusted and disturbed that people live like this. It really is one step up from being completely homeless. Living in squalor with little to no food and surrounded with junkies and dangerous people. It feels hopeless and that is the very core of the book. Feeling stuck with the inability to see change or have hope.
Breakers deserves all praise it has been given and then a whole lot more. Doug Johnstone has achieved what many authors attempt but fail to do. He has written fresh and original Scottish crime fiction that has the potential for an amazing series.
Breakers is disturbing, dangerous and heart-breaking, more, please!