Anyone familiar with the back catalogue of Scottish indiepop stalwarts Belle & Sebastian might know their song Nobody’s Empire: written by band founder and leader Stuart Murdoch about his struggle with myalgic encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Murdoch’s debut novel, set at the start of the 1990s, reprises the title and its chief subject matter.

The story introduces us to three young characters: protagonist Stephen, Richard, and Carrie. Each of them have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, and over time, they form a strong bond. Stephen, a music obsessive, parlays this added confidence into writing songs, making his dream of leaving Glasgow for California a reality.

Murdoch vividly captures both the drabness of that era of Glasgow and the vibrancy of its music scene, a backdrop to the three main characters’ determination to get through each day the best they can whilst shunned by society and grappling with a disease which was, at that time, deeply misunderstood. 

Something like an early 1990s literature equivalent of a kitchen sink drama, Murdoch’s first novel is empathetic, extremely funny and heartwarming – in other words, all the ingredients needed to make a wonderful screen adaptation.