The Islands Are Not Lost, The Compass Is

Citation

MacNeil K (2023) The Islands Are Not Lost, The Compass Is. The Bottle Imp, (33). https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2023/11/the-islands-are-not-lost-the-compass-is/

Abstract
First paragraph: Recently, in my home island of Lewis I spent some life-enhancing time with two writers who were doing novel-related research in the Hebrides, one a Booker Prize winner at the dizzying apex of his career, the other, an American writer earnestly researching her first novel, demonstrating her commitment by starting to learn Gaelic. I am impatient already, hungrily looking forward to both books. During a conversation about how life is changing on these islands, Douglas Stuart, whose debut Shuggie Bain won the Booker and hearts and minds globally, recommended I read The Colony by Irish novelist Audrey Magee. I can see why. As the Financial Times describes it, this terrific book tells ‘a story about language and identity, about art, oppression, freedom and colonialism … a novel about big, important things.’ These timely themes are every bit as pertinent to the Scottish islands as to the Irish.

Journal
The Bottle Imp, Issue 33