A busload of Scottish schoolgirls goes to Edinburgh for a day from the Highlands for a televised choral competition. The gang of friends called The Sopranos peel off from the rest and go on their own personal odysseys for the day, through the medium of much alcohol, some sex, and many revealed secrets. It's a simple structure, but within it Alan Warner has brilliantly created an entire world with these characters; Fionnula, Kylah, Manda, Chell, Kay, and Orla. The narrative examines social, moral, and emotional boundaries without a screed of sentimentality and a great deal of hilarious black humour. This male writer has captured the preoccupations and complexities of teenage girls with uncanny realism and the sharpest of ears for the way teenagers use language.
Rosita Boland