Jock McLeish a divorced, alcoholic, middle-aged security installer spends a night in a Scottish hotel room drinking, fantasizing about violent sex and contemplating suicide. As his fantasies spiral, memories of personal failures and political disillusionment surface, forcing him to confront the emotional wreckage of his life.

Darkly comic and formally experimental, Alasdair Grays novel is a raw, unflinching portrait of male inadequacy, power, and self-depiction, exploring the intersections of politics, and personal redemption with shocking honesty and biting insight.