DURING the pandemic, as she was shielding in her parents’ house, Margaret McDonald developed what she calls “touch starvation”, which she explores in her debut novel, Glasgow Boys.
Through a dual narrative, the 25-year-old tells a coming-of-age story which explores the power of identity, the care system, and the Scottish working class.
Published this month, Glasgow Boys is the heart-warming story of Banjo and Finlay, who both grew up in foster care. On the brink of adulthood, they attempt to navigate the world, after an incident which caused a rift between them.
A character-driven novel, Glasgow Boys offers a vivid portrayal of the questions of class and identity. It breaks your heart in two – but eventually glues it back together.
In a way, the novel feels like a reassuring hand on your shoulder, one there to let you know it is OK to make mistakes – and still, move forward.
McDonald, who hails from the south-east of Glasgow, has always been a writer.
“I think everybody says that when they finally sort of cross the frontier and publish a book, they always say they’ve always done it, but that is the truth. I studied creative writing in university and throughout my studies, I basically wrote books the whole time,” she says.
The pandemic inspired her debut novel after she experienced what she refers to as “touch starvation”.
“During the pandemic, I was in the high risk category. That meant that I was shielding in my parents’ house. I have Crohn’s disease and asthma, I’m on immunosuppressants for Crohn’s.
“I was in my room, shielding the entire time, and I definitely did develop a ‘touch starvation’, which I feel, is present in the novel,” she explains.
After she could start entering the world again, McDonald worked with the NHS as a vaccine assistant. Then, she went on to become an administrator in a health clinic for the NHS.
“I worked for about two years with the NHS. I realised that I really wanted to focus the novel on this aspect, but I thought that it was better to set it at home, in Scotland, and have Finlay go to Glasgow University, which was my university. Maybe it was wish fulfilment as well, to relive the student experience that I missed for two years.”
Constantly inspired, McDonald has written 14 books. “It’s a crazy number, I’m quite aware,” she laughs. “But I just write them because I love a character and I want to put them in a situation. I want to see where they would go.”
Speaking of her debut novel and its two protagonists, she says: “I do think that it was a lot of character building for those two, and I could have really put them anywhere.
I could put them in an apocalypse and I feel like I would know what they would do, I’ve really grown up with them.”
Even though they are apart, Banjo and Finlay, they are still closely tied throughout the book.
“I think that it just felt natural that you would see both of their perspectives.
“It felt as though it reflected the sort of missing that they both felt and the sort of connection that they had. We got to see it from their different points of view and from two different sides.”
The love interests in Glasgow Boys had to be secure in themselves too.
“I think that I modelled relationships from my fiancé in Alina. I wanted a love interest for both Banjo and Finlay, who were basically people who were excellent communicators, who were forthright and confident. It had to be a person who would reach out and who was also patient and willing,” McDonald says.
Crohn’s disease also plays a small part in Glasgow Boys, through one of the characters.
“She has a disability and her Crohn’s is definitely mine,” McDonald says. “It’s very personal, it affects everybody differently. I had the most medical knowledge of my own disability, and I didn’t really want to disregard that or deep dive into a disability that I don’t have any knowledge of. It felt more natural that it would just be my own.”
As the story touches on trauma and the foster care system, McDonald wanted to make sure that she got things right.
“There’s a social aspect and in terms of trauma,” she says. “My partner works in social services, so I’m quite closely aware of social care. We did go through a sensitivity read, which was important to me.
“Glasgow Boys is about childhood trauma. But a little note we put on the final copy is that the trauma is never explicitly relived on the page. It’s only told through a character’s own words, so they have control over the narrative, it’s not something being done to them.”
Banjo and Finlay are also shaped by the women in their lives.
“I do think that there is something to be said for women entering the discussion on masculinity. I’m someone who doesn’t really subscribe to the notion of gender. Obviously, biological sex exists, but I believe gender is a social construct,” she says.
“These divisions of masculinity and femininity do actually feed into each other, and in Glasgow Boys women outnumber men – that’s a purposeful choice as well. I have such a large cast of women, we don’t hear their voices but I think that they impact Banjo and Finlay in a myriad of ways.”
At the age of 13, McDonald was introduced to the world of fan fiction. One of the pieces she wrote totalled an impressive 80,000 words.
“I grew up with the internet and I was introduced to fan fiction, maybe at about 13 years old. I started writing it and it’ll never be found,” she laughs. “I started publishing it, and it was terrible, and I was getting better and better. There’s a sort of sense of community there when people comment, so excited for the next chapter.
“It’s something silly, but it honestly stays with you. I think the purpose of life is human connection, wanting to form relationships with people and strengthen those relationships and be understood. Writing is a really good vehicle for that.”
McDonald hopes readers will take one thing from Glasgow Boys.
“Your past doesn’t define you. You can make mistakes and learn from them. You can keep making the same mistakes and keep learning.
“So much of life is about ups and downs, it’s so tumultuous we can fall back into our old patterns and old habits, but still, we can move forward.”
