Publisher's Synopsis
Three of Scotland's most celebrated writers have their works brought together in one collection. Peter McDougal's 'Just Your Luck' (1972) follows the trials of Alison (Lesley Mackie) and Alec (David Hayman) who, when Alison falls pregnant, decide to marry and inform their respective parents - not an easy task when both families span the sectarian divide. The play explores the entrenched bigotry with humour and honesty, painting a realistic and, at times, bleak vision of the prevailing social climate. In Peter McDougal's 'Down Where the Buffalo Go' (1988), American shore patrolman Carl (Harvey Keitel) finds that his job - rounding up AWOL sailors at Scotland's Holy Loch while trying to maintain the peace with the locals - is hastening the breakdown of his marriage. Going out on the town with brother-in-law Willie, who is estranged from his wife and facing redundancy, Carl discovers that where there's life there is still hope. John Byrne's 'The Slab Boys' (1979) follows three young working-class employees of a Paisley carpet factory in 1950s Scotland. The story tells of the highs and lows in the lives of Phil (Billy McColl), Spanky (Gerard Kelly) and Hector (Mark Windsor) as they deal with being stuck in a tedious job and attempt to escape their surroundings. Finally, in Daniel Boyle's 'Leaving' (1988), three young friends are about to leave their Catholic school in Greenock and embark upon futures that will lead them down very different paths.
