Paper Cup

Product Information

Established in 2009, Tippermuir seeks to add to the cultural life of Scotland by publishing interesting and worthy books in English and Scots. Late one night on a bench in George Square, a drunk bride-to-be celebrating her hen night with a potty on her head and pockets full of cash accidentally leaves her diamond engagement ring behind; Kelly sticks it on her own finger and cannot get it off.

This is the kind of book that when you finish, you actually miss the characters for a long time afterwards. She has bright spots of nearly but not quite friendship but for each of those there’re three tales of being beaten, abused and/or mocked by people who should be looking out for others, people going out of their way to make her tough existence a little bit worse.There’s a part in the story where a couple want to help her but she just can’t believe they are genuine and rejects their offer out of fear and suspicion, this part really stood out to me and if felt so sad that people can be so broken down that they can’t even allow themselves to have hope. Kelly is an interesting character, she doesn't like to get too close to people she bumps into, and her observations are revealing. While I commend the author for shining a light on homelessness and centring the book on Kelly, a homeless woman with addiction and mental health issues, I found it agonisingly slow-paced and lacking in character development. Kelly is homeless, living on the streets of Glasgow, having left her home town many moons ago and never looked back.

The posh divorcee who feeds Kelly (and her dog) on her pilgrimage seems almost offended when asked why she did it. We’ve seen her, or him, sitting outside on the pavement with their paper cup, asking for nothing but 20p and possibly a sandwich. This journey and the people we meet along the way show just how much one meeting can have an impact in someone else’s life (and likewise how they can impact your own life). Full of compassion and hope, Paper Cup is a novel about how easy it can be to fall through the cracks, and what it takes to turn around a life that has run off course.

On her journey from Glasgow to the south-west tip of Scotland, Kelly encounters ancient pilgrim routes, hostile humans, hippies, book lovers and a friendly dog, as memories stir and the people she thought she’d left behind forever move closer with every step.

I enjoyed this portrayal of the city of Glasgow and the descriptive realities that people who are homeless face on the street. A warm man walking the streets throwing out good food, making eye contact with Kelly, throwing the uneaten portion in the bin. It's overall a very positive story of human decency and perseverance and even though it did feel a little disjointed in parts it was a lovely read. Of course, Kelly’s experiences and adventures on the road and the people she meets are of interest themselves; the novel would be dull if they weren’t, and there is a nice variety of them. 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.However, once I got to know this wonderful soft person and the circumstances which led her to living rough, I was absolutely rooting for her. And the plot is a memorable tale of unlikely friendships, familial drama, poverty, homelessness, addiction, guilt, compassion, honesty, survival, mental illness, kindness, and ultimately finding your way home. I decided to read on and as the story moves away from Glasgow and towards Galloway there was a physical and emotional shift in the book that brought some lighter moments in amongst the despair - not least when Kelly makes a friend along the way in the shape of the not-very-creatively-named Collie dog - Collieflower!

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. 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. It is quite simply a beautiful, moving story that will stay with you long after you close the pages. On this page, you’ve got the main aim briefly written followed by a very short equipment list and a step by step guide of how to go organise the activity. Who studied architecture and engineering at University, and who through a few poor choices, lousy men, the pull of drink and drugs, becomes irrevocably lost.Listened to the audio book which added to the read as the narrator is Scottish and made the read more authentic. It is a story of how life can give you a massive bag full of lemons and how you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, find the beautiful things in life and find happiness in the small things in a journey that brings you back to knowing who you are and what things are truely important. 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.