Hame
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:8th Feb '18
Should be back in stock very soon
A literary detective story uncovering the past of a reclusive poet, as a mother and daughter make a new life on a remote Scottish island.
In the wake of the breakdown of her relationship, Mhairi McPhail dismantles her life in New York and moves with her 9-year-old daughter, Agnes, to the remote Scottish island of Fascaray. Mhairi has been commissioned to write a biography of the late Bard of Fascaray, Grigor McWatt, a cantankerous poet with an international reputation.
Hame, n. Scottish form of ‘home’: a valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin
After her relationship breaks down, Mhairi McPhail dismantles her life in New York and moves with her nine-year-old daughter, Agnes, to the remote Scottish island of Fascaray to write the biography of Grigor McWatt, the late Bard of Fascaray.
But who was the cantankerous Grigor McWatt? Despite his international reputation, details of his past are elusive. As Mhairi struggles to adapt to her new life she begins to unearth the astonishing secret history of the poet regarded by many as the custodian of Fascaray’s – and Scotland’s – soul.
Transportive and immersive. -- Jonathan McAloon * Financial Times *
This searching and eloquent novel muses on identity, love and belonging. -- Hepzibah Anderson * Mail on Sunday *
Bristling with life and passion and wit. * The Herald *
Hame treads a line between light-hearted satire and a discussion on notions of home and belonging… A hugely entertaining, roller-coaster of a ride through poetry and language -- Liam Carson * The Irish Times *
Richly textured… The emotional complexity of the writing matches the landscape of the island and its surroundings. -- Philip Womack * Literary Review *
There are joyful winks and allusions everywhere... an affectionate rebuke to Scots nationalists who pretend that questions of national identity are straightforward... 'hame' isn't so much where you're born, as where you hing yer bunnet' -- Sam Kitchener * Daily Telegraph *
Real historical figures interact with the fictional ones, blurring the book’s boundaries. It’s an immersive world, from smoky pubs in 1960s Edinburgh, filled with arguing poets, to the lovely descriptions of the island of Fascaray... Settle in your own home and explore. * Emerald Street *
Ultimately, Hame is a novel about identity; both with specific regard to Scottish character and nationalism and to broader questions of how we attach ourselves to people over place, or vice versa, and of how we construct our personal life stories. -- Will Gore * Evening Standard *
A remarkable performance. -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *
Exploration of the idea that identity is a creative construct, not just the product of geography, but the imagination. -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *
ISBN: 9781784705237
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 30mm
Weight: 429g
592 pages