Category: Psychological Portraits
-
Muckle Flugga, Michael Pedersen. A Psychological Portrait of Ouse, Firth and The Father.
Meet Ouse, Firth and The Father Please note, this article contains spoilers for the novel. Michael Pedersen’s highly anticipated debut novel, Muckle Flugga, launched into the literary world in May 2025. Published by Faber, the book is remarkable and Pedersen’s lyrical prose leap from the pages. In the two weeks since its release, the book…
-
On The Calculation of Volume, Solvej Balle. A Psychological Portrait of Tara Selter.
What would you do if each morning, when you wake up, the day has reset, and you are forced to relive the 18th of November again and again? A seemingly endless time loop. You confide in your partner, parents and friends but each new day, they forget the conversation and you need to start again.…
-
The Boy From The Sea, Garrett Carr. A Psychological Portrait of Brendan Bonnar.
Garrett Carr’s debut adult novel, The Boy from The Sea landed on the literary shore, much like the book’s protagonist, Brendan Bonnar: unexpected, mysterious, packed full of heart and special. The book is a marvel, an intimate tale of a family and small rural community in a fishing village in the west coast of Ireland. …
-
Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh. A Psychological Portrait of Mark Renton.
A giant of Scottish fiction, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, was released in 1993. It tells the story of Mark Renton and his friends in 1980s Edinburgh as they navigate through heroin addiction, violence, brittle friendships, the emerging HIV epidemic and high stakes drug deals. (Please note this psychological portrait contains spoilers for the book) Through…
-
Juno Loves Legs, Karl Geary. A Psychological Portrait of Juno
Please note this article contains spoiler for Juno Loves Legs. Juno Loves Legs is a beautiful and devastating novel with so much heart. It tells the tale of Juno, an incredibly resilient and strong young girl growing up in 1980’s Dublin. It’s a love story of friendship between Juno and Legs. Two outsiders, who fight…
-
Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan. A Psychological Portrait of Campbell Flynn
Please note: This article contains spoilers for Caledonian Road. Caledonian Road is the latest novel from Booker Prize nominated author Andrew O’Hagan. It is a book of epic proportions, with a host of principal characters who are all part of a complex and interconnected web. Campbell Flynn is at the centre of the novel and…
-
Two Sisters, David Greig: A Psychological Portrait of a Play
In February, I had the pleasure of watching Two Sisters, a new play written by David Greig and directed by Wils Wilson. Starring Jess Harwick, Shauna MacDonald and Erik Olsson, it ran at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh from 10th February to 2nd March 2024. Please note this post contains spoilers for Two Sisters. The…
-
Video: Small Things Like These. A discussion of a psychological portrait
Join me as I talk through my recent psychological portrait of Bill Furlong, from Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These (Faber Books). In this video, I briefly present my formulation of Bill to accompany my psychological portrait. I have used a Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) based approach to consider the events that have shaped Bill…
-
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan: A Psychological Portrait of Bill Furlong
I wouldn’t consider myself the quickest of readers. I rarely read a book these days without my pen and notebook to hand, ready to note down anything significant that could be relevant for a psychological exploration. Approaching reading with a more curious and considered approach like this can prolong my time spent reading a book. …
-
Poor Things, Alasdair Gray: A Psychological Portrait of Godwin Baxter
At the start of 2023, I had the opportunity to contribute to Poor Things: A Novel Guide, an exciting project from The Alasdair Gray Archive. The project is a celebration of Alasdair Gray’s work which gives audiences the opportunity to explore the book through essays, videos and creative responses. The digital project is timely as…
The Paperback Psychologist 