Scottish writer Karen Campbell is the author of nine novels. Her latest book This Bright Life, which was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize 2025, is published by Canongate. Previous novels include Paper Cup, The Sound of the Hours, Rise and This Is Where I Am, all Bloomsbury, and The Twilight Time, After the Fire, Shadowplay and Proof of Life, all Hodder. A graduate of Glasgow University’s Creative Writing Masters, Karen also teaches creative writing.

This Bright Life

A young boy.
A single mistake.
Many lives changed forever. 

Gerard’s twelve. He’s a bright kid, but trouble seems to follow him. No one knows what it’s like at home, or the load he carries on his small shoulders.

Gerard doesn’t always make good decisions. And one spring morning, he makes a really bad one — one that will upend his life — and crash into the worlds of two women caught in the chaos. For Margaret, the shocking incident brings her back from the edge of grief; for Claire it’s the start of a new friendship that she desperately needs to propel her forward.

As summer progresses, Gerard faces a bewildering stream of concerned adults clutching files, unfamiliar streets to navigate, a strange bed to sleep in, and the very real chance he won’t see his wee brother and sister again.

Heartbreaking, and yet brimful of humour, compassion and hope, This Bright Life is a story about messy lives, second chances and the many hands it takes to build a boy.