Kindle Edition Amazon Unlocking Carol's Smile Amazon Amazon Category:  Sociology Publisher: David McAdam Type: Fiction Pages: 176 Copyright: May 2015 ISBN-13: 9781511851121 Price: $2.98 (eBook) A gritty love story set on the streets of Edinburgh Set within the bleak existence of Edinburgh's street homeless this gritty story is about a highly improbable relationship between a man and a woman who occupied worlds that seemed poles apart. What was it about Carol that intrigued Ian? To the world she was inaccessible and a toxic influence on all who encountered her. She was socially dysfunctional, leaving little that was redeemable. That was until she allowed Ian access to her life. As a hard-bitten homeless-worker, he had seen and done it all and had his fair share of difficult cases to deal with that were par for the course. However, there was something about Carol that he had not seen or dealt with before and which threw him off course. His pursuit of the answer to that something was to have unexpected consequences for them both.   Excerpt ‘What do you mean you have to have known the man for six weeks first?’ Ian barked into the phone. Had he redirected the adrenaline that was pumping his fitful hand gestures towards his vocabulary, the attitude of the woman at the other end of the line might not have been so matter-of-fact. The apparent stubbornness of authority that Ian frequently contended with had the habit of momentarily transforming a placid Jekyll into a fuming Hyde. As far as Ian was concerned, the woman was indulging the internalised dogma of either the social service department or that of her own mindset regarding homeless matters. Be this as it may, contrary to her constrained approach, Ian, although aware of his flawed traits, regularly surrendered to the most pronounced one: his impulsiveness. His reaction in this instance typified this personal weakness. He glanced at Rab; the dishevelled and beleaguered man under discussion, shook his head in dismay and turned again to the phone. ‘Listen, the guy has managed to stay off alcohol for two weeks and it’s him not me who wants to go into rehab. You know as well as I do that when a guy asks for this we do something about it right away.’ Rab was a middle-aged fellow-Scot whose enduring alcohol addiction had led predictably to the breakdown of everything that had previously sustained his life: his physical and emotional stability, good marriage, steady job, loving family, wide social circle and a healthy dose of self-esteem. Not even a fragment of this catalogue of sustainment remained. The can of beer clutched in his hand was now the sole measure of his identity. He was often exposed to public scorn as he lay either slumped in a doorway or sprawled out drunk across a pavement. This was a far cry from the man who was once respected as a senior engineering surveyor with the authority to prevent an oil rig from being launched offshore.

Taboo
Seems a terrible taboo for a careworker to fall in love with a homeless woman - shocking and compelling read.' -- Emily Pykett. The Big Issue. In the North (UK)

Ottakars Book Store review
When we talk about the things or people we love and are passionate about, it shows. Your eyes might light up, you might make big hand gestures and talk louder. You want to convey your dedication to others. On reading Unlocking Carol's Smile, the reader cannot help but notice the amount of heart the author has added to his text. MacAdhaimh genuinely cares about the people he writes about and the reader soon realises that even if this is a fictional account of life on the streets, there are more than enough parallel stories living in doorways and shelters to echo the harshness of this life. Ian, the main protagonist, is a streetworker who does not always follow the orthodox approach to counselling, but rather his gut instinct. Next the reader meets Carol, a heavy drinker, separated from her children. When Ian and Carol's paths cross, their troubled souls reflect in each other and they start a friendship outside the boundaries of counselling.

An honest and introspective account of a world we seldom deal with first hand, but often wish away.

Pushing through boundaries
Unlocking Carol’s Smile is not for the faint-hearted and although a gritty read it quickly drew me into a world that most people take steps to side-pass and ignore. Ian is a charity foundation street worker who supports the addicts and homeless on his patch but he also walks a difficult path between the bureaucracy of Social Services and the scrutiny of his colleagues. Then he meets Carol, a woman who is battling her demons with alcohol and aggression. What develops is a love story of a different kind. Do not expect hearts and roses or any notion of romance. Instead, the author cuts through the facades to get to the raw emotion, the emotional pull, the spark that draws two human beings together no matter their past, circumstances or appearances. With skilful precision, the author uses humour and well-crafted dialogue to bring lightness to a dark place. There were chapters when I had to wipe away a tear and then later found myself contemplating. It is obvious that the author has a deep understanding and intimate knowledge of his subject matter as it is written with the compassion and breadth of vision that only experience can bring. My eyes were opened by the attempts to “socially re-construct” (as the author put it) the people Ian supported. One scene in particular, between Valerie a social worker and Carol, was another brilliantly-written dialogue to portray the vapidity of “doing ones job” at the expense of “making a difference.” Valerie could have equally been operating in some company HR department using the same rehearsed spiel for each of her clients. At the crux of this book is the resounding message that we all need to be accepted for what and who we truly are and… to find someone able to do that in the most difficult of circumstances? It is rare and many people can only read about it. In conclusion, I would say put away the romance books and read this book instead. It is full of truths and cuts through to the heart.