The Roost - stories: Neil Butler

'The Roost heralds the arrival of an impressive and authentic new voice in Scottish literature. . . one of the most exciting and satisfyingly odd collections I've encountered in ages.' LIVING.scotsman.com

‘It’s wonderful.’ Lucy Ellmann

'Will do for Shetland what Kevin MacNeil's Stornoway Way did for Lewis. Can't wait for the local reaction!  Tom Morton

'Vodka, violence and teenage kicks - The Roost rules on every level.'  Simon Crump

‘wonderful! Strange, and bleak, but also uplifting ... It's not quite Dennis Johnson, but it's one of the closest things I've read.’ Sam Jordison, The Guardian

longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2011

‘The Roost’ is a perilous tidal race off the coast of Shetland. In these unique stories, Neil Butler renders the lives of young people as no less swift and dangerous.

Romance today is tough – on every mobile there’s a threatening message, a compromising photo. For every aspiration to leave this place, there’s a bottle of vodka or a line of coke. Despite their wild yearnings, some of these teenagers remain bound to tradition, while the waters of The Roost sweep their friends away into uneasy adulthood.

The Roost is a remarkable debut – comic, eerie, risky and, above all, compassionate.

NEIL BUTLER WAS BORN IN SHETLAND IN 1984. HIS MOST NOTABLE DISTINCTION, APART FROM HIS MASTERY OF RESIDENT EVIL 4 ON THE GAMECUBE, IS HIS MASTERS IN CREATIVE WRITING. HE GOT A DISTINCTION YOU SEE. HE ENJOYS PLAYING THE GUITAR AND KNOWS WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT RADIOHEAD. OCCASIONALLY HE WRITES STUFF.