Siân Hughes was Booker-longlisted for her debut novel ‘Pearl’ and I expect ‘No Such Thing As Monday’ to be similarly lauded. It’s the present day in the West Midlands. Steffie – a 50-something woman – arrives at Stanley’s house (Stanley being her father) only to find him dead. The narrative then flips back and forth as Steffie recounts memories of Stanley’s bare-knuckle fighting, dog fighting, cock fighting and other nefarious deeds. We also learn of Steffie’s life, growing up with her father, mother and Caroline, her sister, who she has long since been estranged from. Indeed, the gap provided by Caroline’s absence is what gives the novel its dark heart. We also learn of Steffie’s school life and subsequent minimal wage jobs, her descent into drug and alcohol abuse, rehab exploits, and the various run-down places she has lived. ‘No Such Thing As Monday’ has the same authentic, slap-sting feel as Douglas Stuart’s ‘Shuggie Bain’ in regards to recounting a life on the working-class fringes; but it’s never heavy going due to Steffie’s indefatigable voice, which is unsentimental and spiked with humour that’s as sharp as a paper cut (“The [greyhound] trainer looked like most of Dad’s friends. Bald. Fat. Broken teeth and cheap tattoos. The rule where people look like their dogs does not work for greyhound owners.”). And woven amid all the chaos is a golden thread of defiance that keeps you rooting for Steffie, whatever life throws at her. RM

Published by 

The Indigo Press