Something Leather

Alasdair Gray seems to evoke polarizing reactions from readers, but there is a lot to admire in his fourth novel, Something Leather. The story is set in Glasgow and is structured around the sexual desires of four female characters — a civil servant (June), a dressmaker (Donalda), a dominatrix (Senga) and an artist (Harry). Gray claims that he wrote the book in an attempt to write from the perspective of female characters and while that is only partially successful (June's apparent enlightenment after a shocking experience is too exaggerated) he is a witty writer who captures some of the quiet desperation of ordinary lives.