Blurred Faces
Published on 13. November 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-914148-80-4 (ISBN)
Description
From Scotland's National Book Awards and McKitterick Prize shortlisted author Allan Radcliffe
When two men meet on a dating app, it's supposed to be a casual encounter between strangers. Jordan is only back in Edinburgh to visit his complicated family, and Davie is reeling from a painful breakup.
Yet Davie recognises Jordan as someone he knew long ago, when they were both closeted teenagers at the same school. Back then, Jordan was relentlessly bullied and Davie was one of the bullies. But Jordan doesn't remember him at all.
Against the backdrop of a city steeped in memories, Davie and Jordan find themselves drawn together again and again. A fragile intimacy blossoms between them, but can anyone ever be free of their past?
PRAISE FOR ALLAN RADCLIFFE'S WRITING
'Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine
'So gentle, so warm, so human' -Rick O'Shea
'There is much to admire... from the elegance and economy of the writing to the understanding of the emotional difficulties' -The Scotsman
When two men meet on a dating app, it's supposed to be a casual encounter between strangers. Jordan is only back in Edinburgh to visit his complicated family, and Davie is reeling from a painful breakup.
Yet Davie recognises Jordan as someone he knew long ago, when they were both closeted teenagers at the same school. Back then, Jordan was relentlessly bullied and Davie was one of the bullies. But Jordan doesn't remember him at all.
Against the backdrop of a city steeped in memories, Davie and Jordan find themselves drawn together again and again. A fragile intimacy blossoms between them, but can anyone ever be free of their past?
PRAISE FOR ALLAN RADCLIFFE'S WRITING
'Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine
'So gentle, so warm, so human' -Rick O'Shea
'There is much to admire... from the elegance and economy of the writing to the understanding of the emotional difficulties' -The Scotsman
Reviews / Votes
'Exquisite... tender and romantic and yet searing with gritty reality' -The Sunday Post'A story of love and remembrance... evoked in rich imagery' -Edinburgh Evening News
'An emotionally resonant tale of family dynamics and complex, fragile intimacies' -Scotland on Sunday
'I was quietly moved by Allan Radcliffe's thoughtful, lovely story, steeped in vodka, bog-smell, and aging rain, about these wounded characters who tiptoe toward one another and risk the terrifying possibility of an un-haunted life. I want to believe they can do it.' -Jeanne Thornton, author of A/S/L and Summer Fun
'An intimate tale of two souls attempting to find themselves, as well as each other. Character-driven yet cinematic, Blurred Faces is tenderly romantic and achingly poignant with a sharp complexity.' -Harker Jones, author of Until September
PRAISE FOR ALLAN RADCLIFFE'S WRITING
'Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine
'So gentle, so warm, so human' -Rick O'Shea
'There is much to admire... from the elegance and economy of the writing to the understanding of the emotional difficulties' -The Scotsman
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
194 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-914148-80-4 (9781914148804)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Allan Radcliffe is a multi award winning and shortlisted author from Scotland. His writing has won the Allen Wright Award and the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, and his debut novel The Old Haunts was shortlisted for both the Saltire Society First Book Award and the McKitterick Prize in 2024.
His short stories have been published in anthologies including Out There, The Best Gay Short Stories and New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
With an MA from the University of Glasgow, Allan Radcliffe works as an arts journalist and editor, and is currently a freelance theatre critic and feature writer. He was born in Perth, Scotland, and now lives near Edinburgh.
His short stories have been published in anthologies including Out There, The Best Gay Short Stories and New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
With an MA from the University of Glasgow, Allan Radcliffe works as an arts journalist and editor, and is currently a freelance theatre critic and feature writer. He was born in Perth, Scotland, and now lives near Edinburgh.