How late it was how late - James Kelman

WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE `A passionate, scintillating, brilliant song of a book' Guardian Sammy's had a bad week.

Most of it's just a blank space in his mind, and the bits that he can remember, he'd rather not.

His wallet's gone, along with his new shoes, he's been arrested then beaten up by the police and thrown out on the street - and he's just gone blind.

He remembers a row with his girlfriend, but she seems to have disappeared; and he might have been trying to fix a bit of business up with an old mate, he's not too sure.

Things aren't looking too good for Sammy and his problems have hardly begun.