The Black Dog: The life-affirming debut novel from one of Britain's most-loved comedians

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He doesn’t have it all not by a longshot – the Hollywood dream has lost its allure and his agent is close to getting the sack. There are no airs and graces, they don’t come from affluent backgrounds, they are just getting by – living day to day, I was really taken aback by the depth in which Bridges brought his characters to life. I highly recommend this to all readers who want a moving, heart warming story that has some great character exploration. At the other end of the scale is James Cavani, a local hero who went to the same school as Declan several years earlier. There are obvious natural breaks but it still made it hard to work out reading time and when to stop.

Book review: The Black Dog, by Kevin Bridges - The Scotsman

I'm clearly in the minority here with my star rating for this book - but I absolutely hated this book. Unfortunately, it was neither of these things - a dull read, with no development of plot even by the halfway stage, which is when I abandoned it. He rings for an uber and heads for a pub to meet his friend Doof Doof, described in the blurb as a “pseudo-intellectual” – unkindly and not, I think, accurately. Besides Doof Doof his only real friend is his Labrador, Hector, though he is fond of his sister and his loving mother who worries about him. He attends a writing course and, when we first catch up with him he is delivering a piece he has written to his fellow wannabes.

There are two main characters Declan Dolon and James Cavani, brought up, a generation apart in the same poor quarter of Glasgow. There’s nothing I love more than reading a book written by a comic as they are (99% of the time) incredible storytellers. When picking up this book to read, I guess I paid too much attention to the fact that it was written by a comedian, and not enough to the title. I felt that the whole thing was very visual – perhaps intentionally because of James’ occupation and Declan’s ambitions – but for every bit of part 6, I could see it all being played out on screen in all its sad and hilarious glory. Declan and James meet outside the hospital and to cut a very long and slow story short, they start to work together on a writing project.

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges | Goodreads The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges | Goodreads

Kevin Bridges is a comedian I find absolutely hilarious and this book isn’t actually what I expected.The story is told in the first POV by Declan, a young man living in Glasgow dreaming of a worlds beyond, and James, a older man who has and is living Declan’s dream. The premise is faintly ludicrous, the characters thinly sketched and the plot so wobbly that a spoiler alert might not be necessary. This book is a character lead novel,for sure, although the story/plot itself would still be good even without such well written characters the fact the characters are so well developed is a added bonus.

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges | Hachette UK

Watching Kevin, I was sure he was born to be a stand-up comic, but reading his book it is clear he can do absolutely anything he sets his mind to. It always felt as if there was about to be a turn where something happened and story would really start to begin, but it just never did. He doomscrolls through his phone, letting his mind catastrophise about the negative reviews the movie is surely already attracting.Instead it’s a multiple character study, conveyed with warmth, understanding and an optimism that even if circumstances seem bad, no conclusion is inevitable in life (even if Bridges does deploy coincidence to resolve things, it is at least credible coincidence). One has read it too often in the lower reaches of tartan noir, though refreshingly this isn’t really a crime novel but only one with tiresomely familiar crime elements, necessary for the plot, but not entirely convincing.

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges - REVIEW - The Coycaterpillar The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges - REVIEW - The Coycaterpillar

First, there’s Declan attending a creative writing class with a load of middle class pretentious types, having them not enjoy his more working class short story, and then him getting drunk afterwards.

It is a sensitive portrayal with both main characters struggling in their own ways to survive and working to find their way through the challenges they are faced with. The story is mainly told from Declan's point of view, although we are also given some insight from James' perspective and learn they are not so very different. It has all the nuances of a piece of Glasgow fiction – the language, the passion for football, drugs, and a dream of becoming something more. If, though, a character is sitting at airports and on flights and in cars, or in therapy, for a huge chunk of the book, as poor Cavani does, then the writing must be vital and original for the reader to make the journey, too. Yes, Cavani sorts everything for Declan, despite going through his own turmoil with an addict sister, and the star-crossed young shaver and A-lister go off happily to collaborate on a project.