The Two Roberts
The Two Roberts follows the lives of artists Bobby MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun. It begins in September 1933 at Bobby and Robert’s first day at the Glasgow School of Art. Both from working class families with scholarships, they are drawn to each other; neither fitting in with their middle- and upper-class peers, but both supremely talented. The novel charts the development of their relationship from friends to lovers (at a time when homosexuality was illegal), as well as their journey through art school and their burgeoning careers as artists afterwards.
The novel is beautifully written, with evocative period depictions especially of Glasgow during the 1930s Depression. The point of view flits between Bobby and Robert, as well as other secondary characters at times, and the reader gets a good sense of the contrasting natures of Bobby and Robert. Bobby, garrulous and outgoing, and Robert, who is quieter and more reserved. The secondary characters generally feel shadowy and less well drawn (especially the multitude of new characters introduced when the Roberts move to London), but this serves to emphasise the all-consuming nature of the relationship between Bobby and Robert, and their art, which persisted through the highs and lows of their careers.
Overall, this is a fictionalised biography of two artists who, as Barr says in his afterword, are not as celebrated now as they deserve to be. Well worth reading.
