Imelda

"Imelda reads like a substantial work of fiction .... a disturbing, grotesquely comic and compelling tale ... irresistible in its intensity ... Imelda is an engaging and arresting psychological study, and it shows Herdman at his very best."Brian McCabe, The Scotsman "Imelda establishes itself from the start as a gripping, substantial tale."Tom Adair, Scotland on Sunday "..... master of a unique, dry, grotesquely humorous voice .... Imelda is the centrepiece .... a masterly mingling of the petty and the paranoid, the pathetic and the boastful, the credible and the incredible .... Herdman deserves to be much more widely known; this subtle, assured little masterpiece should go a long way to establishing him among our foremost novelists."Douglas Gifford, Books in Scotland ".... this dark, tragic story .... Imelda is nightmarish in both its subject and means of narration - and yet is completely and utterly compelling."Angela Finlayson, Chapman "Herdman continues a tradition of Scottish surrealism which has been around since Hogg and Galt."Carl MacDougall, The Glasgow Herald "Herdman's writing is a feat of great wit and invention."Julie Morrice, Scotland on Sunday