Published: May 29, 2011
Words: 97,612 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458171115

Short description

A reminder of his past spurs Jim Cooper into making a big decision. He's going back to adulthood ground zero - no job, no debt, no, er, home - and starting again. Maybe this time round he can do it right and get, or rather, keep, the girl, even if that girl is happily married and her Bruce Lee obsessed dad seems to want to make Jim his new pet.

Extended description

An unexpected reminder of his past prompts Jim Cooper, a 33 year-old Glaswegian call centre worker, to make a big decision. He’s going back to adulthood ground-zero - no job, no debt, no, er, home, and starting again. Maybe this time he can do it right and get the girl. The fact that the girl is already married and living in another country and her Bruce Lee obsessed dad apparently wants to turn Jim into his latest pet are only two of the obstacles he faces.
Given Jim's forward planning skills don’t extend beyond praying and having panic attacks, it isn’t surprising that he soon finds himself living with his parents and working for minimum wage, in the same pub he worked in when he was 18. What is unexpected is Paula Fraser walking through the pub’s door for the first time in 12 years.
What’s even more surprising is that Paula admits she still loves Jim. But yes, she’s married, and no, she won't cheat on her husband. She'll tell him the marriage is over. Soon. When the ti.. (Read more) An unexpected reminder of his past prompts Jim Cooper, a 33 year-old Glaswegian call centre worker, to make a big decision. He’s going back to adulthood ground-zero - no job, no debt, no, er, home, and starting again. Maybe this time he can do it right and get the girl. The fact that the girl is already married and living in another country and her Bruce Lee obsessed dad apparently wants to turn Jim into his latest pet are only two of the obstacles he faces.
Given Jim's forward planning skills don’t extend beyond praying and having panic attacks, it isn’t surprising that he soon finds himself living with his parents and working for minimum wage, in the same pub he worked in when he was 18. What is unexpected is Paula Fraser walking through the pub’s door for the first time in 12 years.
What’s even more surprising is that Paula admits she still loves Jim. But yes, she’s married, and no, she won't cheat on her husband. She'll tell him the marriage is over. Soon. When the time is right. As soon as her husband's sick grandfather gets better - or fatally worse.

And so, Jim and Paula embark on the tricky business of not having an affair, and not telling anyone they know that they’re not having an affair. As Jim reflects, ‘If not being physically intimate with her in any way and denying to everyone we knew that anything was going on between us was the best way to prove I loved her, then that’s what I would do.’

Scratch is an un-sanitised, emotionally honest and hilariously candid story about what it is to grow up as opposed to simply change age, as told by a man who doesn’t know what any of those words mean.
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Tags

humor, british, womens fiction, humour, scottish, adult humor, commercial fiction, lad lit, chic lit, strong story good plot witty, romance contemporary, strong language, hilarious and heartbreaking, contemporary fiiction

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Reviews

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Review by: Donna Fasano on Sep. 28, 2011 :
Starting over – a little late

Hating his job and in debt up to his neck, Jim decides to start from scratch. He quits his job, sells his flat and moves back in with his parents. So begins Jim's quest to have another go at 'getting it right.'

I so enjoyed this story. It was entertaining and funny, thought-provoking and poignant. In this current economy, I can easily see this story unfolding in the real world.

The characters are so well fleshed, each with his/her own strengths and weaknesses, that I am left feeling as if I could go to the corner pub and have a drink with any one of them as we have a good chat. I love Jim. He really is a wanker (of course, I'm using the Joe/Simon definition!). I am terribly disappointed in Paula, but then I write romance novels for a living and wanted, well, I can't tell you what I wanted without giving away some good bits. I enjoyed watching Terry grow and mature…but only so far (I'm shaking my head and grinning, you'll see why when you meet him). I love Abe and Jeb…their working relationship is something we all wish we had in our work-a-day lives (I'm laughing even as I type this). I even loved Kate, and especially enjoyed learning the unexpected 'motive' behind her laziness.

Buy this book. But don't just read it. Savor it. You won't be sorry.

Highly recommended.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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