Makeshift and Hunger March: Two Novels by Dot Allan

Makeshift, first published in 1928, deals with a young girl’s adolescence and early adulthood in early 20th-century Scotland. Dramatic and closely observed, it is a fascinating study of changing attitudes and expectations, as well as being an exciting and stimulating novel in its own right. Hunger March is another significant novel, first published in 1934. The action is confined to a single day, the day of the great hunger march. Intending to present a complete overview of the city, Allan chooses both working-class and middle-class characters, whose stories interweave through the day. Confronting issues of class and gender, Makeshift and Hunger March offer an insight into women’s lives in Scotland in the first half of the 20th century. They are also highly readable and enjoyable works of fiction by a writer who deserves rediscovery by a new generation.