Hame

Description

Hame, n. Scottish form of 'home'- a valued place regarded as a refuge or place of originAfter her relationship breaks down, 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 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.

Reviews

"Bristling with life and passion and wit." * The Herald * "Intricately spun... this searching and eloquent novel muses on identity, love and belonging." -- Hepzibah Anderson * Mail on Sunday * "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 *

Author description

Annalena McAfee was born in London to a Scottish mother and a Glasgow-Irish father. She founded the Guardian Review, which she edited for six years, and was Arts and Literary Editor of the Financial Times. Her first novel, The Spoiler, was published in 2011.