Blurred Faces

From Scotland's National Book Awards and McKitterick Prize shortlisted author Allan Radcliffe

An Irish Independent best book of 2025

'I mean, it's nothing really. An old face from the past.'

Two men meet on a dating app. It's supposed to be a casual encounter between strangers. Jordan is only back in Edinburgh to visit his complicated family, and Davie is reeling from a painful breakup.

Yet Davie recognises Jordan as someone he knew long ago, when they were both closeted teenagers at the same school. Back then, Jordan was relentlessly bullied - and Davie was one of the bullies. But Jordan doesn't remember him at all.

Against the backdrop of a city steeped in memories, Davie and Jordan find themselves drawn together again and again. A fragile intimacy blossoms between them, but can anyone ever be free of their past?

PRAISE FOR ALLAN RADCLIFFE'S WRITING

'Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine

'So gentle, so warm, so human' -Rick O'Shea

'There is much to admire... from the elegance and economy of the writing to the understanding of the emotional difficulties' -The Scotsman