Nobody's Empire

'Dazzles with indie charm. . . . By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Nobody's Empire is a romantic world of possibility and youthful yearning.'--Minnesota Star Tribune 'Murdoch proves he's as good a novelist as he is a musician.'--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) One of the great lyricists of our time, the lead singer and songwriter for the iconic Glasgow-based band Belle and Sebastian, pens a sensitive and intimate account--his debut novel based on his own youthful experiences--of dark days leading to light and a coming of age through music. It's the early 1990s in Glasgow, Scotland, and Stephen has emerged from a lengthy hospital stay. Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a little-understood disease which has robbed him of any prospects of work, friends, or independent living, he moves slowly toward new goals and meets others like him, including Richard, a friend from school, and Carrie, a young woman bedridden for five years. Feeling isolated and alone, they form their own