“How late it was, how late“ By James Kelman

“How Late It Was, How Late“ is a 1994 novel by James Kelman that tells the story of Sammy Samuels, a Glasgow resident who wakes up in a cell after a night of drinking and finds that he has been beaten and left blind. As he tries to piece together what happened and why he has been jailed, Sammy encounters a series of characters who are struggling with their own problems and prejudices. The book is written in the first-person perspective of Sammy, and is notable for its use of vernacular language and stream-of-consciousness style, which give the reader a sense of the confusion and disorientation that Sammy experiences. Through Sammy’s interactions with other characters, the novel explores themes of injustice, power dynamics, and the human condition. As Sammy navigates the bureaucracy of the criminal justice system and tries to get help from social services, he encounters a series of obstacles and injustices. He is repeatedly mistreated and underestimated by the authorities, who view