Member Review

Despite the horror of its subject of the Highland Clearances in the 19th century, when crofters were evicted from their smallholdings to make way for sheep, this is a beautifully lyrical story from master story-teller Sally Magnusson. It begins with Jamesina Bain, a widow in Rutherglen, and still battling with the physical and mental scars of her community's violent eviction, first from Glencalvie, then Greenyards. Bitter and broken, with a string of dead children behind her, it seems there is no future to enjoy - until the arrival of her new lodger, a Scotsman who grew up in America and has returned to work in Rutherglen. As he gently inserts himself into her life, he draws her out and we see the young girl she once was, feisty and passionate, ready to love and be loved, and blessed with the gift of song-writing. Her songs now are an elegy to a people lost, but never forgotten.
Due to old injuries, her memory is fading, but her spirit remains strong - as does her dry wit, sarcasm, and intelligence, as evinced by her knowledge of Latin, and the words it gave to the English alphabet.
I found this a bit jarring in the story, inserting itself as it does so fully into the narrative, but I think it was there for a reason - one, to remind the reader that Jamesina is to be admired, not pitied; two, to show that old cultures always leave their mark, and that the Celtic people's legacy will live on.
I also found the first few pages hard going, as it is not clear exactly what is going on with Jamesina and her lodger, but very quickly everything dropped into place, and the story found its pace and rhythm, exploring the present, the recent past and the tragic past of over 40 years ago, which has left its mark on the Highlands to this day.
It's a sad story, but also one of hope and redemption, and though there are no spirits, sprites or selkies, as I've come to expect from this author's books, it still carries a feyness in its lyrical description of the lives of people who matter, far more than profits.