Clear is a gentle, rather beautiful story about an impoverished Scottish clergyman, who takes the job of evicting the last inhabitant of an island to the north of Scotland. His wife, Mary, isn’t keen to see him go, and can’t see how it can end well. John is determined to make some money to look after his wife.

John and the islands last inhabitant, Ivar, have nothing in common. Not even a common language. Yet Ivar cares for John after an accident. He’s a gentle, hardworking man who loves his island home and his animals. He doesn’t want to leave, but he doesn’t own his house or the land it stands on. It has been a part of his life and that of his parents and grandparents. But this is the last of the Scottish Clearances.

This novel made me think of the fragility of life, whether it be John after his fall from the rocks, how Ivar’s life must radically change, or Ivar’s animals after he leaves. And then there’s the delicate (yet at the same time, robust) ecosystem of the island.

John and Ivar find a bond, a relationship that neither wants to end after they leave the island, but what is Ivar going to be able to do when he leaves? How awful it must have been for those leaving their homes and ways of life during the Clearances.

This book was perfect, and I’d definitely recommend it.

This book starts with a simple premise- two men trying to understand each other whilst not sharing a language- and quickly builds into something much more heartfelt about belonging, identity and tradition. The way this book builds towards the end is stunning, with a real quietness and lightness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Carys Davies is a really interesting writer who I've been following since she published her first collection of short stories, Some New Ambush back in 2007 and I really enjoyed her debut novel West which was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize in 2020. Davies’ novels are usually quite short and are often set in desolate or out of the way locations and she seems to be really interested in how people respond to a particular historical event or moment - which path they take - and I would say Clear certainly taps into both of those ideas.

The book is set in 1843 during the highland clearances, which was a period when landowners in Scotland were going through an often brutal process of removing their tenant farmers from their estates to make way for grazing sheep which was seen as a much more profitable use of their land. And after being evicted, the displaced farmers and their families were often given small patches of coast or farmland to tend, but it was all a bit of a set up, because the estate owners knew the farmers would never be able to make a real living from these new plots, they were too small, or the soil quality was really poor, and so within a short space of time their harvests would fail and the landowners would swoop in and take on the now desperate farmers as seasonal workers, but on very low wages - so it was really just a ploy to create a very cheap, dependent workforce.

At the heart of Clear is our main protagonist John Ferguson who is a middle-aged impoverished cleric who’s just accepted a contract from one of these landowners to travel to a very remote island in the North Sea between Shetland and Norway to evict a farmer called Ivar who is the island’s last remaining tenant. John is leaving his wife Mary in Aberdeen to go and do this, and she’s very anxious about the whole thing - she thinks her husband is quite unworldly and a bit naive - but he assures her he’ll only be gone for a month, and that this one contract will make them more money than he makes in a year.

John leaves Mary and heads off, but, things don’t go to plan and on his second day on the island - which is this hugely treacherous rocky outpost - something happens to him and Ivar not knowing who he is or why he’s there, finds him and takes him back to his bothy - his little stone cottage - and sets about caring for this mystery man.

And the book goes on from there, charting the growing relationship between these two men - who, initially, don’t even speak the same language, and who come from completely different worlds, but who find a way to co-exist. And just thinking about language, it’s a theme that very much runs through the whole book - John and Ivar begin to learn each other's languages - John speaks English and Ivar speaks some obscure dialect - and through doing this John starts to see the island in a completely different way.

I have to say, I don’t often ugly cry when reading a book, but this was such an emotional gut punch, especially the ending which is so understated and which both broke my heart and restored my faith in human kindness at the same time. I cannot recommend this book enough. Without a doubt my best read this year so far.

This was a short read that I managed to get through in a couple of sittings. The writing is beautiful - Davies writes lyrically about the landscape and the book features some memorable vignettes.

It’s 1843. The premise of the story is that John Ferguson, a hard-up minister (he is a part of the movement away from the established order to form a Free Church of Scotland) reluctantly agrees to journey to a remote Scottish island to clear it of its one remaining inhabitant, Ivar.

Once dispatched there by boat on a rocky sea, it is immediately apparent that John is completely ill-suited to his mission. In one particularly memorable scene, described beautifully by Davies through the eyes of a seabird, John slips and falls into the sea. He is subsequently rescued by Ivar who tends to his wounds and nurses him back to health. This leads to the pair becoming irrevocably bonded and over the course of John’s short four week residency, they develop a close friendship.

Meanwhile, John’s wife Mary back on the mainland begins to worry that something has happened to her betrothed. From this point on the story takes on a kind of subverted fairytale narrative. Whilst I liked the novella’s conclusion, I grappled with its credibility and also felt I would have liked more - both in terms of depth in the narrative and the characterisation.

I felt that John remained for the most part fairly aloof and remote a figure and I would have liked Davies to probe a little deeper into his psyche in particular. I admired the very clean, beautiful prose so much that basically I would have liked more of it! A stunning short read that I would still recommend and I will definitely read more by Carys Davies.

With thanks to NetGalley and Granta publications for the digital ARC for this review. I made a rookie error and forgot to download it before the archive date. Hence the lateness of this review post-publication! I waited on a library copy….

A wondrous tale of bonds forged when two men are pitted against each other on a remote island during the Highland Clearances, from the prize-winning author of West.

I’m in love with the setting of Scotland. Now I know why this book is so hyped on booktwt. It’s a beautiful short story with characters that have a very great character line .

A tender novel of isolation and companionship, I was drawn inexorably into this from the first page. It exists within a legacy of novels much like it, with none exactly reaching quite the pitch Davies manages here. A new classic.

This was my first Carys Davies novel, and it's a relatively short book (around 200 pages) set on a remote island somewhere between Scotland and Norway in the middle of the 19th Century, during a period of Scottish history known as The Clearances, a programme of mass evictions of rural dwellers from the land to make room for more profitable agricultural farming.

John Ferguson is a Presbyterian Minister who, short of cash, takes up an offer of a job to carry out one such eviction from a remote island. Having arrived there, he has an accident and is rescued by the island's sole resident, Ivar. As he recuperates, John and Ivar form a close bond but John's wife Mary is en route to the island, feeling that something has gone wrong.

The book has gorgeous prose but I found the pace rather sluggish. It becomes apparent that the story is set over quite a short period of time (three weeks) which seemed a stretch with the description of John's injuries and all that happens. Fans of books set on remote islands - like, for example, Whale Fall and The Colony - will enjoy this book though it failed to set my world alight. 3/5 stars

Unfortunately I feel I’m in the minority, sometimes a book comes along that isn’t the right fit for the reader and this for me is that book. I knew little about the Highland clearances but the slow burn of this novel had me struggling to stay interested. I feel I need to re-read it in the future going on some of the previous reviews.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC of this book.

This book completely captivated me! The atmospheric writing was absolutely incredible, and I couldn't get enough of it!
This is one of the best Historical Fiction works cause you learn so much from it!

This was a lovely, quiet book. From the blurb (and the cover) I expected it to be a bit like Donoghue's Haven, but this went in an entirely unexpected way.

My only wish is that it had been a bit longer - I'd love to have know what happened next, but then I'm one of those people that dislikes 'unresolved' endings.

Such an unusual book about a period I knew very little. Brilliantly drawn characters and a punchy narrative, with nothing over explained and so much meaning in the things unsaid. Would highly recommend!

Carys Davies’ “Clear” might initially lull you with its deliberate pacing, but don’t be fooled. This beautifully written novel set against the backdrop of 19th century Scotland unfolds like a slow-burning fire, drawing you into a world of quiet strength and simmering tensions.

The story centers on two men: John, a minister sent to a remote island to evict its sole inhabitant in the wake of the brutal Clearances, and Ivar, the Gaelic-speaking islander facing eviction. Davies masterfully weaves together their perspectives, crafting a powerful exploration of displacement, cultural divides, and the resilience of the human spirit.

While the historical context of the Highland Clearances and the schism within the Presbyterian Church adds depth and weight to the narrative, “Clear” is ultimately a story about connection. Despite the language barrier and the weight of their circumstances, John and Ivar find a way to communicate, building a fragile trust and a surprising friendship. Their bond transcends their differences, offering a glimmer of hope against the harsh backdrop of forced eviction and religious upheaval.

Davies writes with a lyrical touch, painting vivid pictures of the windswept island and the churning emotions within her characters.

This is a novel that rewards patience. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller, “Clear” might not be for you. But for those who appreciate a beautifully crafted story that lingers long after the final page, “Clear” is a gem.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Granta Publications in exchange for a free and honest review.

I LOVED this book so much. The book has three protagonists; John - a priest in need of funds so he agrees to go to a faraway island to evict its last tenant, Mary - John's wife and Ivar - the sole tenant of the faraway island. the story follows John's landing on the island, his accident and how Ivar and him develop a relationship through learning a new language. The book has beautiful prose and the descriptions of the nature around the island were quite vivid. The importance of communicating and understanding each other was tackled in a good way, and I also enjoyed reading about the character motivations (what drive their actions (view spoiler) ). Overall, a good character study and I would highly recommend it.

This story of unexpected love set against the rugged backdrop of the Scottish Hebrides is bursting with the tenderness of human connection.

Set in the early 1840s when, Scottish clearances meant the natives of the Hebridean islands were being removed from their homes by force, I expected this story to be awash with brutality and tragedy. Instead, Davies has woven a tale of quiet love and hope. Reverend John Ferguson has been tasked with evicting the sole inhabitant of an island so that his employer can use the land for pastoral farming. Ivar, the unsuspecting inhabitant, lives a simple but fulfilling life on the island, subsisting on what he can unobtrusively grow and gather from the land. The third prominent character is Mary, John’s wife. Left behind to await her husband’s return, Mary begins to feel anxious about John’s welfare and takes it upon herself to retrieve him.

Davies’ writing creates a visceral image of the island itself, and of the burgeoning relationship between John and Ivar. She also explores linguistics through John’s learning and recording of Ivar’s native tongue. In the Author’s Note, which I usually read out of a sense of obligation but this time enjoyed almost as much as the novella itself, Davies discusses her linguistic choices and the origins of the words Ivar teaches John.

This is a novella that will stay with me indefinitely. I expected it to be good, but didn’t expect it to resonated so deeply.
Huge thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the digital ARC.

A wonderful novella set at the time of the Clearances on a remote Shetlands-esque island. The writing is exquisite, evocative and beautifully paced. An endearing story about human resilience, friendship and humility.

This short story is one of my favourite I’ve ever read 🫶🏼

It’s 1834 and, on a remote Scottish island, Ivar - the sole occupant - leads a life of quiet isolation until the day he finds a man unconscious on the beach. The newcomer is John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister sent to evict Ivar so that the island can be used as grazing land for sheep and provide a new source of income for the landowner.

Unaware of the stranger’s intentions, Ivar takes him into his home and, in spite of the two men having no common language, a fragile bond begins to form between them.

This story is so tender and the language is so beautiful. The two men, both gentle and determined in their own way, are thrown together by nature’s course. They slowly learn to communicate with each other - Ivar describes the words of his ancient language so that John can make notes and eventually understand him. As the language offers connection between the two men, so too does their understanding for one another.

In the same way, the word choice and language in this story is all so carefully chosen and so evocative. the descriptions of landscape and language are so poignant. And the depiction of connection that transcends all barriers is so beautifully depicted.

This book was quiet and slow, touching and unexpected - for someone who recently declared that short stories aren’t for them (me 🙋🏻‍♀️), this one really surprised me. I loved it!

This was such an interesting, emotional little read. I'm new to Davies' work but was intrigued by the premise of the book, mostly because it's about historical Scotland and an event that I actually didn't know about. It tells the story of three people - Ivar, a man living all alone on a remote island, speaking a tongue that is already considered dead; John, the minister sent to this island to make Ivar leave in order for his employer to be able to use it for his own purposes; and John's wife Mary, left behind and not quite happy with the job her dear husband took.

I absolutely loved how communication was explored in this story. Ivar might just be the last one speaking his language, inspired by the real Norn tongue, and he and John cannot speak to each other at first. It's fascinating to see how they manage to communicate without words at first, then slowly working on a kind of dictionary together, learning to understand each other better with each day. The development of their relationship is very tender, very nuanced. The storytelling is very atmospheric and the setting of this small remote island really works well with it.

It was, for my liking, just a tiny bit too short. There was quite a bit of time devoted to explaining the political and religious upheaval in mid 19th century Scotland, which was interesting but did take away from exploring John and Ivar's relationship and the growing fondness they feel for each other, the different kinds of loneliness that shaped them. I also would have loved to read more from Mary's perspective. The ending feels almost rushed.

So in the end, this is definitely a well-written short novel about a subject I didn't know anything about before (meaning - Wiki binge incoming). It didn't pack the emotional punches I was expecting from both the synopsis and the reviews I read of the author's previous work, and I'm not sure it'll leave a lasting impact on me, but it is still a very atmospheric read I recommend.

This is a delightful gentle tale of connection, friendship and love, set against the Highland clearances of the 1840s. Ivar lives alone on a remote island with his few animals. John Ferguson is sent to evict him. Impoverished and desperate to make his way as a minister in the new Free Church of Scotland he reluctantly takes on the task to earn some money. But misadventure means he is left in a coma when he lands on the island and Ivar takes him in and tends to him. As John recovers an increasingly close relationship develops between them, in spite of all that is at stake, not least because John has a wife, who sets out to find him. The writing is beautiful, understated and yet intense in the unspoken. Sensitive, compassionate and insightful, this atmospheric small gem is nigh on perfect. I loved it.

Clear by Carys Davies is a breathtaking novella that immerses readers in the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands through its evocative descriptions and delves deep into the souls of its characters with sparse yet lyrical prose. Davies masterfully intertwines three distinct narrative threads to create a seamless and compelling story.

It's important to note that the pacing of the narrative is deliberate and unhurried, allowing for a profound exploration of the character's thoughts and emotions. We witness Ivar's profound loneliness juxtaposed with his innate kindness and compassion, John's internal turmoil as he grapples with his sense of duty, faith, and complex emotions, and Mary's unwavering determination, loyalty, and selflessness.

Told from the perspectives of John, Ivar, and Mary, the book delves into themes of solitude, isolation, and the profound ways in which human connection can transcend barriers. The narrative beautifully portrays the journey of two individuals learning to communicate and forge a bond despite the absence of a common language, offering a poignant reminder of the transformative power of genuine connection.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Set in the 1840s, “West” tells the story of an impoverished clergyman, John, who is sent to one of the remote Scottish islands on a special mission. It’s the era of the infamous Scottish Clearances, where islanders were forcibly moved off their lands and rehoused on the mainland. Johns task is to convince Ivar, the sole inhabitant of the island to leave.

What follows is a compelling tale of friendship and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. A beautiful, endearing read.