Independence: An Argument for Home Rule, by Alasdair Gray, Canongate, RRP£9.99, 144 page
My Scotland, Our Britain: A Future Worth Sharing, by Gordon Brown, Simon & Schuster, RRP£20, 336 pages
One of the authors of this pair of books is a dyspeptic Scottish socialist prone to exaggeration. The other is Gordon Brown. He and Alasdair Gray have written works that argue for opposing sides in the debate on Scottish independence. The pro-union former prime minister and the secessionist novelist have different styles as well as arguments. Gray’s masterpiece Lanark (1981) won him comparisons with Dante and Joyce, whereas Brown’s prose is somewhat more straightforward. His new book begins: “I love my country. Simple as that.”