Overview

Duck Feet follows Kirsty Campbell from first year to sixth year at school in Renfrewshire during the mid noughties. The novel is made up of linked stories, so we watch Kirsty and her pals grow through ordinary school days, fallouts, crushes, family pressure, bullying, drugs, sexuality and teenage pregnancy. It is funny, painful and very alive.

Writing & Voice

We found Percy’s voice full of energy and truth. The Renfrewshire dialect gives the book its pulse, and it never feels like a trick. The language is part of the world, part of the humour, and part of how these teenagers understand themselves and each other.

Content & Perspective

The story stays close to Kirsty and the shifting chaos of school life. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and nothing stays fixed for long. Percy captures how huge small moments can feel at that age, especially when class, confidence and belonging are always sitting under the surface.

Themes

Duck Feet explores growing up working class in Scotland, the pressure to fit in, and the messy process of working out who we are. It deals with serious subjects without turning the book grim. Humour sits beside hurt, and that balance makes the emotional moments land harder.

What Worked

• Brilliant teenage voice that feels specific, funny and believable.
• Strong linked story structure that lets us grow with Kirsty.
• Sharp mix of humour and hurt that keeps the book honest.

Minor Quibbles

• The dialect may take a little time for some readers to settle into.
• The episodic structure means some chapters hit harder than others.

Final Thoughts

We finished this feeling that Percy had bottled the noise, cruelty, hilarity and heartbreak of Scottish school life with rare accuracy.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5