Paper Cup

Product Information

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. 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. Paper Cup, for me, was quite a hard and slow read. It is written in Scottish dialect and sometimes I failed to understand the words, however, it is also a poignant, harrowing, yet incredible read.

Kelly is used to living outdoors in all weathers. For relying on herself, despite the craving, the absolute craving to quench the thirst that never leaves her.

Featured Reviews

Safe in their hoose with their telly and their walls, they have no concept of a soul’s fragility. Nobody does, until they are made vulnerable themselves. Strip away your trappings, rip off your shell and let’s see how hard you are. When you beg, you have to think of everything. How you look, how you sit. Where you sit. In what manner do you hold out your hand? Cupped (greedy)? Outstretched (pathetic)?” Kelly’s story is gently teased out to the reader in small increments, through past drunken stories, childhood memories, and the experiences which led her to where she is today. No possessions, no money, and the constant choice between some hot chips and cheap booze. Kelly has suffered so much, and her ability to see glimpses of positivity made me love this story. I mean, how incredibly tough would it be to be homeless? To literally have all your possessions on your person. And how much harder to be a homeless woman, with the incidences of violence more prevalent. Not a topic most of us want to think about, and I always despair of the people I see begging on the streets of my beautiful City. It simply doesn’t make sense that this should still be occurring, when there is more than enough to go around. But help is tied up in layers of bureaucracy that people are unable to deal with.

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. Do they think people want to live like this? Crusted with their own filth? Cold and old and hungry. Wanting to be seen, and be unseen. Wanting to be present, even in their self appointed margins. Do they think it’s a choice to be scared and lonely?” Recommended for anyone looking for a story about compassion, about the family you make rather than the one you’re born into. Adjacent to Shuggie Bain with a bit of Trainspotting thrown in. While the story may sound stark, it’s anything but. It has a warmth and humour. It shows the love and friendships that can occur between people of all social stratas. The companionship that animals provide. And how strangers could well surprise you. Then at the balance let’s be mute / we never can adjust it / what’s done we partly may compute, but know not what’s resisted”.Praise for Karen Campbell: I am in awe of Karen Campbell's writing . . . Brilliant, unputdownable storytelling -- MEL GIEDROYC Being a dog lover, Collie of course won my heart, and I loved watching the bond between him and Kelly grow. An old English teacher of mine liked to quote that Tennessee Williams line from A Streetcar Named Desire. “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”.

Karen Campbell is an extraordinary storyteller. She has a deft touch leading you through the narrative with complete enjoyment. There is not a word out of place or a sentiment that is wrong. A set of circumstances pushes Kelly to set off on a mission, of sorts, which sees her follow a pilgrimage trail in the South West of Scotland, setting out from her usual Glasgow spots. Along the way she meets good people, and not, and crucially she makes questionable decisions borne of necessity or driven by her inner demons. It’s a story of hopelessness and ultimately, the humanity that binds us together and keeps that hope alive. It’s also funny - the other characters are sharp witted and dry and there’s a gallows humour which keeps it from being too depressing. I helped you when you needed help. That’s it. Why complicate things? It’s an investment. Maybe it will be there when we need it. We all need kindness”.It’s also a training ground for the next generation of baristas. Our training programme for people in recovery from addiction helps them learn new skills, gain work experience and move closer to a more fulfilling way of life. 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 Kelly is used to people walking past and ignoring her. To simply see their shoes and legs, rarely their faces. As how do you look a homeless person in the eye? And if you do, what do you say to them? 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. 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.