I have read some excellent novellas lately, a form I don’t usually choose. That makes me glad I participated in Novellas in November last year. I think I read about this book during that event.
John Ferguson is a 19th century Scottish minister on a difficult mission. Because of the breakup of the Scottish church, in which he participated, he has left his church to join the Free Church and is thus unemployed, no new churches having actually been established. He and his wife are entirely without money, and he doesn’t want to borrow from his brother-in-law, so he takes a job of surveying a small island in the far north of Scotland for clearance. The island only has one inhabitant, who will be forced to leave, and part of John’s job is to tell him.
On the island, Ivar has been alone for many years. The rest of his family left years before, because the island couldn’t support them anymore after foolish decisions by the owner. Ivar thought it could support him, and the factor hasn’t even stopped by to collect rent in years. He lives with a goat, an old horse, a blind cow, and some chickens.
When John arrives, he promptly falls off a cliff and is badly injured. Ivar finds him and takes care of him. They don’t speak a word of each other’s language, but they begin to like each other. John, though, can’t bring himself to try to explain why he’s there.
In the meantime, Mary hears about other clearances being done by John’s employer that disturb her. She decides to go get John.
This is a little gem of a book with a surprising ending. In its few pages, it pulls you totally into the story. It’s a keeper.
What? Me Read? 
Brilliant and I’ve got a copy waiting to be read!
Good!
I read this one for Reading Wales back in March and really loved it.
Maybe that’s where I heard of it.
Sounds excellent. Adding it to the mountain.
Great!
I’ve seen a lot of praise for this one. Maybe I’ll get around to it one day!
It’s very short.
I enjoyed this too when I read it earlier this year. The ending definitely wasn’t what I was expecting!
I think I saw where it was coming right before it went there, but only a split second earlier!
This sounds really exciting and thrilling. I found it on my reading app so now it is downloaded.
Nice!
So glad Novellas in November inspired you to read this! It was one of my favorites from last year. My book club loved it even though the ending was divisive. Carys Davies recently won the RSL Ondaatje Prize, which is for “evoking the spirit of a place”.
That’s a nice-sounding award.
I don’t read a lot of novellas but I do love it when I find a good one!
Thanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
I hope you get a chance to read it!