14 October 2019
Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, months after this riven old island voted to leave the European Union, and days after an ex-reality TV host became the leader of the free world, a writer happened to win an award. In her speech she thanks this country which has been her home for half her life. She thanks it for valuing her book, for valuing her at this historic moment in time. And she means it. This validation means the world to her. It comes from a country, Scotland, that is not exactly hers but in which she has settled. In which she has produced a mixed-race baby and become a writer.