Paper Cup

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Just don’t be in such a hurry to get away from here” she says. “Because you can’t recapture it once it’s gone”. 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. There’s a wonderful line in here about how libraries are “beacons of light”, as they are places where people with no internet access could avail themselves of the library WiFi. As well as the human interaction with the librarians, and a place to come in out of the cold. For the majority of this, I was completely and utterly in love. I loved our flawed main character, the writing style and the contrast between bustling Glasgow and the small towns of Galloway (especially in the phonetic language, very clever)! To turn an old John Major soundbite on its head, we should condemn a little less and understand a little more.

Kelly is living rough in all aspects, an alcoholic who seems to have accepted her lot in life, something dreadful has happened with someone she loves dearly earlier in her life, and she will not return home. The way this story unfolds shows simply not how hard it would be to walk a mile in her shoes, or how impossible it would be to sleep on the streets, or how awful one is treated when begging. It is more than that. It shows the desperation of one human being who believes it is what she deserves, the ability for this person to still see good in what she is in the midst of, and the select few who still help and care. The blatant experience with what seemed to me an almost non existant support and welfare agency was frustrating, Kelly certainly was buried deep in loss. One wanted this woman to get there, wherever there was.

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. I admired Kelly’s determination to return the engagement ring to its rightful owner, and being inside her head and hearing her thoughts. What led her to become who she was, and her want to attempt to make amends and perhaps turn things around. Ach, just read this book. I’ve never read anything that made me care so much. About anything. And whatever your journey, whatever your pilgrimage, remember to be kind to strangers. After all, it’s later than you think.

Kelly is used to being starving, to ignoring the rumble in her stomach even when it becomes a roar. Kelly is used to eating out of bins. Carefully watching office workers rush by on their lunchbreak, throwing away half eaten sandwiches. Paper cups are a really versatile material that often prove to be a staple with different sorts of activities for children, particularly crafts. Here are a few ways you can make use of any paper cups you might have around for a fun and educational activity.

It’s worth it though, to be free to live exactly as you please. There are no restrictions except her own. Yes there is weather, but weather brings sun as well as rain. There are no roofs, but there is boundless sky. The sky reminds her of the sea and home. Our 'heroine' is of course, human, She's made mistakes, she's got weaknesses, she's also got her own moral code and can exceed expectations. The 'quest' that takes us through not only Scotland and its residents (human and canine) but also through Kelly's past. Which at times is traumatic. 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)?” For all this, Paper Cup remains only just on the safe side of whimsy. Occasionally it strays into the realm of the inspirational quote. “If we all put something in the kindness bank, it’s an investment, isn’t it? Maybe it will be there when we need it,” says one of the characters Kelly meets. Some of these people are unconvincing, too straightforwardly good or bad: the hippies who give Kelly a lift in their camper van; the posh Englishman whose dog Kelly steals; kindly Clara who makes her breakfast. And there are a few handy gaps and conveniences: Kelly rubs her finger with seaweed to try to remove the stubborn engagement ring, but never tries with soap in the various public toilets she visits. The biggest convenience of all is that the wedding just happens to be in the same town where Kelly grew up.

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. 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 loved Papercup so much as it shows me someone outwith my lived experience. It shows how fast life can drag you down and how we are all just a fraction away from a circumstance that will take us down that path too. What happened to Kelly can happen to anyone..and underneath it all we are no different. This book highlights how society as a whole, but especially the processes that are put in place to help vulnerable people in society can and do fail. I love the way the book is set out so that we learn small parts of Kelly’s life and past as we go through.. and where at first we think she is a product of her own doing we learn there is so much more to the story. 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.

Engage children with digital learning

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”. The great Scottish poet Robert Burns is referenced once, and once only, in Karen Campbell’s wonderful, empathetic, timely and moving new novel Paper Cup. But the truth is that while reading Karen’s book I couldn’t get him out of my head. The words on the dust cover say that your world will be a better place for reading this story. It may or may not be. But the novel is a reminder that, should we wish, it can be. We have choices. Agency.

When I returned my copy to my local library yesterday, I felt kind of sad. Like a piece of me was missing. I was so used to seeing it all over the house as I was reading it. I took it everywhere. This is a story that I’ll carry around with me, and ponder on, for a long, long time. 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 book was set in Glasgow and Scotland, which was a nice change for me. The audio delivery was amazing, and I loved the accents. The story flowed seamlessly and the narrator was in full command of the story. This is where I imagine authors are left feeling their book is in good hands, Caroline Guthrie was the right choice. 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. I loved how these parts of the story were randomly inserted into the story, it was almost as if they were thoughts creeping into Kelly’s mind, reminding her of who she was, who she’s become and maybe who she really wants to be. It also shows how easy it can be for people to become homeless but how difficult it can be to escape. It’s like that wonderful maxim of not judging a person until you walk a hundred miles in their shoes. 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