Shortlisted for Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year 2016

On an island like no other, the annual Brilliant & Forever festival is a much anticipated event; its participants a story away from either glory or infamy. This year, three best friends two human, one alpaca are chosen to compete, so victory is not only about reward. The glitterati descends, the festival begins: thirteen performers, each have their own story to tell. Who will be chosen by the judges? Who will be chosen by the people?

This is a novel like no other; a whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-loud satire on what we value in culture, and in our lives. And yet, written with exquisite warmth and empathy, The Brilliant & Forever is also a moving exploration of integrity, friendship and belonging. It’ll split your sides and break your heart.

‘Ultimately, this is a book about how everyone has a story worth telling, and one worth hearing too. Terrific stuff.’
Independent on Sunday

‘MacNeil shows himself hugely adept at creating a series of distinctive literary voices, and skilfully weaves these various set-pieces into the main narrative before finally poleaxing the reader with a completely unexpected tragicomic final act . . . a wise warm-hearted meditation on the human condition’
The Scotsman

‘It is a joy to read such an engaging, luminous novel’
The Guardian

‘Lyrical, satirical, funny and utterly, utterly heartbreaking’
Heat