O Brother by John Niven - A Sunday Times Bestselling Memoir - Non Fiction - Hardback

Details:
Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781805300588
Publisher: Canongate Books

Overview

O Brother is John Niven's first work of non-fiction, a raw and deeply personal memoir about his younger brother Gary, whose chaotic, dazzling life ended in suicide at the age of 42 in 2010. Set against working-class Ayrshire in the 1970s and 80s, the book traces two very different paths taken by brothers from the same home: one into music and literature, the other into addiction, prison and despair. It is a Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, and named a Guardian and Waterstones Best Book of 2023.

About the Book

John Niven's little brother Gary was fearless, popular, stubborn, handsome, hilarious and, at times, terrifying. In O Brother, Niven turns his novelist's eye on his own family to make sense of a loss that has haunted him ever since. Moving between decades, the memoir follows John, his younger sister Linda and their mother Jeanette as they hope for the best while quietly bracing for the worst, watching Gary's life spiral through drug deals, bankruptcy and prison. Meanwhile John pursues his own reckless streak in the music industry of the 1990s, a world where excess was too often mistaken for success. Tracking the brothers' parallel journeys, from illicit cans of lager shared in a 1970s sitting room to ecstasy-fuelled nights in 90s raves, O Brother is by turns tender, funny and devastating. It refuses easy answers to the questions of guilt and regret that haunt families left behind after a suicide, choosing instead honesty and dark Scottish humour. For readers who know Niven's novels, it offers a moving real-life counterpart to the wit of his fiction; for new readers, it is an unforgettable entry point into his writing.

• Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize
• A Guardian and Waterstones Best Book of 2023
• Brand new hardback edition, perfect for gifting or collecting
• Combines dark humour with genuine emotional depth
• Ideal for readers of memoir, family sagas and true-life stories
• Written by a celebrated Scottish novelist and screenwriter

About the Author

John Niven is a Scottish author and screenwriter, born in Irvine, Ayrshire. He read English Literature at the University of Glasgow, graduating with First Class honours in 1991, before spending a decade working for record labels including London Records and Independiente. He left the music industry in 2002 to write full-time, going on to publish acclaimed novels such as Kill Your Friends, The Second Coming and Straight White Male. As a screenwriter his credits include The Trip and Kill Your Friends. O Brother, published in 2023, is his first work of non-fiction.

Why You'll Love This Memoir

Honest, funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, O Brother is a beautifully written tribute to a brother lost too soon, offering comfort and recognition to anyone touched by grief, addiction or complicated family love.

Please Note: this book will be dispatched with the UK ISBN and UK edition cover as shown.