The Tick and the Tock of the Crocodile Clock: Kenny Boyle

We are delightled to be welcoming Scottish actor Kenny Boyle to Blackwell's of Edinburgh to discuss his witty, honest, powerfully big-hearted debut novel, . Join us on Wednesday 18th May at 7pm for the launch of Kenny's intelligently insightful and especially charming new book.

Kenny will be in conversation with his good pal, the very brilliant Karen Bartke -officer Karen from the hit comedy Scot Squad.

There will be complimentary celebratory refreshments served.

About the book

Wendy just wants to be a poet. So how come she’s on the run after an art heist?

An aspiring writer from the Southside of Glasgow, Wendy is in a rut. She tries to brighten her call-centre job by shoehorning as many long words as possible into conversations with customers. But her manager isn’t amused by that and, after a public dressing-down, Wendy walks out.

Jobless and depressed, she finds consolation in a surprising friendship with another disgruntled ex-colleague, wild-child painter Cat, who encourages her to live more dangerously. It’s just what Wendy needs and it’s also brilliant for her creative juices. But a black cloud is about to overshadow this new-found liberation, as well as to put Wendy on the wrong side of the law.

Fresh, insightful and funny, as well as unflinchingly honest about the tougher side of life, Kenny Boyle’s debut novel takes us deep into the psyche of a likeable misfit who treads a fine line between reality and fantasy – and just wants the world to see her true self.

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‘Very different and engagingly unique. Kenny Boyle is bristling with talent, and this may well be the best book I’ve read in years’ Peter May

‘A charming, funny and unique story that tackles tough issues with a gentleness and poignancy that really resonated with me’ Clare Grogan

‘Funny, intelligent and insightful. Kenny Boyle is a singular voice’ Sanjeev Kohli

‘Boyle is a fresh, playful new voice on the Scots literary scene. His quirky, unreliable narrator pulls on our heartstrings, takes us by the hand and never lets go. A fun, heart-rending read with a deadly serious undertone’ P.K. Lynch

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Kenny Boyle is a writer and actor born on the Isle of Lewis. He trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and holds a masters in classical and contemporary text, as well as an honours degree in English, literature and theatre studies from the University of Strathclyde.

He is the star, alongside Natalie Clark, of the multi-award winning short film Perfect Strangers (2015) and of the feature-film follow-up Lost at Christmas (2020). His plays include Playthrough and An Isolated Incident, and in 2021 he received a New Playwrights Award from the Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. The Tick and the Tock of the Crocodile Clock is his debut novel.

Having grown up equally in both the bustling city of Glasgow and the tiny crofting village of Cromore, he likes to write about mental health, isolation, identity and – most of all – hope. He spends way too much time reading comics and playing video games.

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Doors: 6.30pm, event starts: 7pm

This is a FREE event, with the option to support our bookshop by paying what you can. All donations help us to continue bringing you the very best events the literary community has to offer. The Tick Tock of the Crocodile Clock will be available to purchase on the night and Kenny will be signing copies after the talk.

The bookshop has level access, events are seated and speakers use microphones. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Covid 19 Precautions will be adhered to in order to ensure the safety of our attendees, authors and booksellers. Please do not attend the event if you are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 or if you have been advised to self isolate. We ask that all ticket holders wear a face mask whilst in the shop, medical exemptions will continue to apply. For more information or if you would like a signed copy because you can't make it to the event, please contact the Blackwell's events team on 0131 622 8222 or [email protected]

Host or Publisher Blackwell Bookshop Edinburgh, South Bridge