The Old Haunts

Shortlisted for Scotland's National Book Awards and McKitterick Prize 2024

'Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' —The Scots Magazine
'So gentle, so warm, so human' —Rick O'Shea
'There is much to admire... from the elegance and economy of the writing to the understanding of the emotional difficulties of its young protagonist' —The Scotsman

Recently bereaved Jamie is staying at a rural steading in the heart of Scotland with his actor boyfriend Alex. The sudden loss of both of Jamie's parents hangs like a shadow over the trip. In his grief, Jamie finds himself sifting through bittersweet memories, from his working-class upbringing in Edinburgh to his bohemian twenties in London, with a growing awareness of his sexuality threaded through these formative years. In the present, when Alex is called away to an audition, Jamie can no longer avoid the pull of the past: haunted by an inescapable failure to share his full self with his parents, he must confront his unresolved feelings towards them.

In spare, evocative prose, Allan Radcliffe tells a wistful coming-of-age story and paints a tender portrait of grief in all its complexities.