WINNER Saltire First Book of the Year Award 2005.

"Wonderful, brilliant, brave. . . a great read."
Andrew Greig

A deep, hilarious novel ­ a vivid, poignant tale in which individual odysseys startlingly merge.
It is 1956 and post-war Scotland is reeling. . . with sex, Americans, atoms, the news from Budapest. . . and fish.

"A balance of humour and tragedy, tragedy ultimately traceable to social conditions, but not in any mechanical way. . .  I have never seen north-east urban speech given such natural, witty and yet dignified expression."     
Lindsay Paterson

A deep, hilarious novel ­ a vivid, poignant tale in which individual odysseys startlingly merge.
It is 1956 and post-war Scotland is reeling. . . with sex, Americans, atoms, the news from Budapest. . . and fish.

"A balance of humour and tragedy, tragedy ultimately traceable to social conditions, but not in any mechanical way. . .  I have never seen north-east urban speech given such natural, witty and yet dignified expression."     
Lindsay Paterson

John Aberdein's story Moving was a prize-winner in the Scotsman & Orange Short Story Awards 2004.
"High-voltage. . . the language is gloriously alive."
Jackie Kay

John Aberdein's early stories were edited by Duncan McLean in Ahead of Its Time (Jonathan Cape, 1987)
Born in Aberdeen, the author has worked as fisherman, teacher and political campaigner in North-East Scotland, London, Fife, Hampshire, the West Coast and Orkney.

"bold and extremely accomplished; big-hearted, clear-eyed and quick-witted. . . an elegy for what has been lost that still points to what might be" Stuart Kelly Scotland on Sunday

"worth reading for the supple zest of the language alone" Jennie Renton Sunday Herald

"Amande's Bed is at once a Sunset Song for Aberdonian townies, a Doric Roddy Doyle, and a Joycean delight in wordplay and multi-consciousness. It's a memoir, a dream, a document, a quietly tragic comedy, wildly diverse yet unified ­ a daring and significant achievement." Andrew Greig The Scotsman

"the most honest, perceptive and humane description of postwar working class life I have ever read . . . sometimes funny, sometimes surreal, often stark, but always with a luminous compassion" Steve Arnott Scottish Socialist Voice

"Overwhelmingly, it is a book of grand dreams in little lives and of tragedy only a single breath from delight." Katie Gould The List

"Absolutely engrossing." C.D. Shetland Times

"John Aberdein has perfected his art to create a modern masterpiece." John Ross Scott Orkney Today

"startling. . . deeply bawdy. . . witty. . . hilarious, dark, sweet, crowded and alive. In the end it moved me to tears" Ali Smith The Guardian

ISBN: 1 902831 84 5