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And so begins a pilgrimage across Scotland, starting in Glasgow to Kelly’s home town, as she is determined to return the ring before the Wedding takes place. I won���t tell you how she knows these details, but the journey is all set up in the first chapter.
The Writer Karen Campbell is a former police officer and press officer for Glasgow City Council. This shows as she succinctly describes the increasing desperation of Kelly’s situation, resulting in her living on the streets, despite the efforts of social workers. As the story progresses, it’s clear that Kelly has tried – and failed – to resist one hell of a lot. And what Karen does brilliantly is to convey that struggle with real empathy. And Kelly is a raw and brilliant commentator on the terrible injustices inflicted on the voiceless and the faceless, not least when she shares a shelter with a couple, seeking asylum and expecting a child. Praise for Karen Campbell: I am in awe of Karen Campbell's writing . . . Brilliant, unputdownable storytelling -- MEL GIEDROYC Kelly seems to give without asking for any return. She will break your heart along the way if you decide to take this journey with her. The book certainly had a portion of whimsy, and things seemed to contain an element of good timing, but this did not detract my sheer delight of enjoying a full five star experience. It simply is a wonderful book. This book was set in Glasgow and Scotland, which was a nice change for me. The audio delivery was amazing, and I loved the accents. The story flowed seamlessly and the narrator was in full command of the story. This is where I imagine authors are left feeling their book is in good hands, Caroline Guthrie was the right choice.For the majority of this, I was completely and utterly in love. I loved our flawed main character, the writing style and the contrast between bustling Glasgow and the small towns of Galloway (especially in the phonetic language, very clever)! I was rooting for Kelly, along with the people rooting for her whether she knew it or not. It’s so beautifully written and so specifically Scottish, with a smattering of Scots language, that it felt like home. It’s funny, and painful, and poignant and so compassionate. It might be a work of fiction but we all know Kelly. We’ve seen her, or him, sitting outside on the pavement with their paper cup, asking for nothing but 20p and possibly a sandwich. In this world, in 2022, this shouldn’t be happening but it still is - this series of nets lets people slip through. If nothing else, this book casts a light into that shadow and will hopefully encourage readers to volunteer, to add to that cup, to see that person as a person.
While this could have been a downer of a read, it was not. There was compassion, humor, tenderness in unexpected places, and a sense of purpose and hope beyond all reason that buoyed the story even as it dealt with harsh realities. Occasional bit players popping in and out broadened the character base and brought more depth to the story. The opening chapter is the joy and giddiness of a hen’s party. In the wee small hours. The bride to be and her girls are well and truly happily plastered. By a strange twist of fate, or synchronicity, the bride pauses for a moment on a park bench, where Kelly lies sleeping. In high sprits, the girls “take pity” on the tramp lying there, and gift her the coins they’d collected for strangers to kiss the bride to be. And in this exchange, Susan's engagement ring, unbeknownst to her, becomes entangled in the coins. I loved Papercup so much as it shows me someone outwith my lived experience. It shows how fast life can drag you down and how we are all just a fraction away from a circumstance that will take us down that path too. What happened to Kelly can happen to anyone..and underneath it all we are no different. This book highlights how society as a whole, but especially the processes that are put in place to help vulnerable people in society can and do fail. I love the way the book is set out so that we learn small parts of Kelly’s life and past as we go through.. and where at first we think she is a product of her own doing we learn there is so much more to the story. This really is a special little book. Kelly has had such a difficult life, everything she touches seems to go wrong, and the drink has its clutches in her every step of the way. She's such an endearing character, clever, strong, witty and unstoppable.
CATEGORIES
This is one of the most emotional books I’ve read in a very long time and by the end of it I really felt like I’d been through the wringer - but it was totally worth it.
Glowing with empathy and wry intelligent wit. Let Kelly into your life. She’ll change you, and you won’t forget her” Kelly is living rough in all aspects, an alcoholic who seems to have accepted her lot in life, something dreadful has happened with someone she loves dearly earlier in her life, and she will not return home. The way this story unfolds shows simply not how hard it would be to walk a mile in her shoes, or how impossible it would be to sleep on the streets, or how awful one is treated when begging. It is more than that. It shows the desperation of one human being who believes it is what she deserves, the ability for this person to still see good in what she is in the midst of, and the select few who still help and care. The blatant experience with what seemed to me an almost non existant support and welfare agency was frustrating, Kelly certainly was buried deep in loss. One wanted this woman to get there, wherever there was. Throughout the book we get glimpses of Kelly’s past, giving hints at how she ended up on the streets after what seemed like a fairly privileged upbringing. I loved how these parts of the story were randomly inserted into the story, it was almost as if they were thoughts creeping into Kelly’s mind, reminding her of who she was, who she’s become and maybe who she really wants to be. It also shows how easy it can be for people to become homeless but how difficult it can be to escape. I didn’t like the fact that the story lines of other characters didn’t go anywhere. I felt like their stories had been cut short, and that what had been put in before seemed a bit unnecessary. They could have been told through other characters and not have whole chapters dedicated to them to then lead nowhere.
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This tale begins with a group of young women on a hen night. They are so drunk that the bride gives her engagement ring to Kelly, a homeless woman, who has been begging on the streets of George Square in Glasgow. They tell Kelly that Susan is getting married to Connor in Gatehouse of Fleet, in Dumfries and Galloway, in a few days’ time. The drunken hen party leave Kelly with the engagement ring. Really interesting book, it took me a while to get into the narrative properly. I thought the description and thread throughout the book of homelessness and the way the systems work was so well researched and written, and I know it's only a small insight into the world, but there must be an opportunity for us all to do better, especially those with influence in the systems and support available. I also felt challenged as the main character isn't exactly likeable- something I normally struggle with - but the portrayal of her inner struggles with alcoholism, relationships, pain was really well written and I did feel for her, even if and when she make decisions that didn't make sense or I wouldn't have been able to justify Failed asylum seekers? Imagine failing at that. Just failing at asking for help. That has to be be pretty low. That’s why she rarely put themselves in the hands of others. Why let them unskin you more?” When I returned my copy to my local library yesterday, I felt kind of sad. Like a piece of me was missing. I was so used to seeing it all over the house as I was reading it. I took it everywhere. This is a story that I’ll carry around with me, and ponder on, for a long, long time. A] poignant and harrowing read. Campbell gambles on our empathy when she shows Kelly at her worst, and she wins because she has written, without judgment or criticism, an original and memorable protagonist; one who moves through a landscape described with love and care, and whose interior voice will continue to ring in the reader’s head even after the long journey’s end is reached”
This story gives a name and a face to at least a segment of our unsheltered brothers and sisters. While a complex issue with multiple pathways into it, some are there because of tough circumstances, impulsive decisions, individual challenges, while the stepping stones to finding solid ground again are rife with holes and tilts. It's an unpredictable scrabble out once there. It’s the sweetest of spots for a quiet tea, coffee or pastry among the streets of East London and another brilliant social enterprise.” — Spike and Earl We're taking donations! Overall, Paper Cup is an astute, touching, compelling tale by Campbell that does a beautiful job of reminding us that family is not always those just related by blood but rather those who love, care, support, and accept us. It’s like that wonderful maxim of not judging a person until you walk a hundred miles in their shoes.
Summary
I can often be critical of books which sentimentalise homelessness and poverty and give an impression of a lovely, wee community of people who are homeless but happy. I enjoyed this portrayal of the city of Glasgow and the descriptive realities that people who are homeless face on the street. The descriptions of the streets, the characters, the services available and staff who work within them were immediately recognisable to someone who has worked within this environment. Paper Cup is a pensive, heart-tugging novel that takes us to Glasgow and into the life of Kelly, a homeless alcoholic estranged from her family who, after finding an engagement ring and witnessing a horrific accident, embarks on a journey south, meeting some interesting characters and visiting some historical places along the way, heading to Gatehouse of Fleet, Galloway to not only return the ring to its rightful owner but to finally confront the demons she fled from and the family she hasn’t seen in years. I saw a fresh perspective of how difficult it must be for people with no fixed abode. The myriad of social workers who are overrun with case work. Kelly falling through safety net after safety net.
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