Selfish Daisy Douglas considers herself the ‘life and soul of the party’ no matter who she offends along the way. Her reputation for being loud and brash proceeds her, to the point that she is unaware of the detrimental effect her life choices have on her friendships and family relationships.
When she spectacularly fails to impress anyone with the speech she gives at her stepdad’s funeral, Daisy finds herself alone on a platform of the Glasgow underground, having missed the tube home…again.
Some people believe in guardian angels and second chances, Daisy is not one of them, but when she meets the mysterious Yotta and is whisked back in time on the illusive ‘last tube of the night’, does she have enough fight in her to make amends and get back to her future self? With instructions to ‘save a life’ before she can return to present day, Daisy must challenge her preconceptions of how the world sees her and more importantly how she sees herself in order to succeed in her mission to survive. However, it’s not long into her quest that she begins to realise her previous actions and attitude do not bode well for a smooth return journey back to those she loves.
As ever, Sayers’s humour is perfectly placed within the darker elements of her story. The impeccable plot weaves around Daisy as she confronts the overwhelming hold her emotional health has on her ability to make the right decisions, her crippling grief and the broken relationships she fears will never be repaired – these, and more, only endear the reader to Daisy and her plight.
Ross Sayers has exceeded all my expectations with this clever, funny, dark and yet heart-warming story of time travel and redemption, one tube stop at a time. Daisy, his third novel (Mary’s the Name, Sonny and Me), hooks the reader from the first page as they are thrown into her chaotic reality. Written in Scots, Daisy on the Outer Line by Ross Sayers is a truly unforgettable read.
