Shetland

From 1750 to around 1860 landowners in Scotland evicted tenants from their land in the Scottish Highlands and Islands in what is known as the Highland Clearances. Landowners sought to increase their income by converting small plots of land farmed by multiple tenants into larger fields for pastoral farming. The displaced tenants were relocated and encouraged to take up other work like fishing. In the later years of the Clearances, landowners expelled tenants or assisted them to emigrate.

The Clearances are the backdrop for Carys Davies' remarkable novel Clear (2024). Set in 1843, Clear tells the story of John Ferguson, a minister who has recently broken away from the Scottish Church to be part of the new Free Church of Scotland. Without the backing of his former parish, Ferguson has no income and needs to find a means of caring for himself and his wife Mary while he establishes his new existence as a minister. Ferguson's brother-in-law puts him in touch with a landowner's factor who offers to pay him to evict the last remaining inhabitant on a remote island in the Northern Isles. 

Ferguson arrives on the island with one change of clothes, a pistol, some basic supplies, a slice of Mary's fruitcake and a small, leather-framed calotype photo of his beloved wife. He has one month until the Lily Rose returns to convince the tenant to return to the mainland. Of course Ferguson is best suited to the streets of Penicuik and Perth, not the rugged landscape of a remote island. He makes his way to the basic Baillie cottage where he is to reside on the island. 

Ivar has lived alone since his family left the island years ago. He has a solitary existence with only his animals for companions. When Ferguson and Ivar finally meet, the two do not have a common language. The illiterate Ivar peaks Norn (now extinct), which bears no resemblance to English or Scots. Ferguson is eager to learn, and writes the words Ivar teaches him, forming a dictionary which allows them to communicate. Ferguson revels in the words for different cloud formations, waves and types of rocks. Over the days they spend together, the men form an incredible bond. But time is not on their side. The ship will be returning at the end of the month. Will Ferguson tell Ivar why he is there? Will Ivar leave his home? Will their companionship endure?

Carys Davies is a gifted storyteller. At only 150 pages long, Davies conveys depth and emotion with a concise choice of words. This is a story of loneliness, friendship, and language. Clear is a brilliant novel which can be read in one sitting. I love Clear and look forward to seeking out Davies' previous works - West (2018) and The Mission House (2020).