It’s been well over three years since The Mission House was published, perhaps an indication of the care and attention paid in writing Carys Davies’ latest brief, vivid novella. Clear is set in 1843 against the backdrop of two massive upheavals in Scottish history: the continuing, brutal clearance of its estates by voraciously greedy landlords and the formation of the Free Church of Scotland.
Outside, beyond the thick stone walls of his house, the island’s contours retreated briefly into darkness but without ever really disappearing, and soon, through the opening in the roof above the hearth, light began to fall in a slowly turning, glittering column of chaff and fish scales and wisps of floating wool.
Clergyman John Ferguson has impoverished himself and his wife by resigning his living to become a minister in the breakaway church. Mary and John married late, Mary long past envisioning a life with a companion. They’re devoted to each other, John making sure to have a likeness made of his wife so that he can carry her image should they be parted. After several futile attempts at making a living, he reluctantly accepts a lucrative offer preparing the clearance of the last man from an island its owner wishes to populate with sheep. John lands on the island, sets himself up in the landlord’s house and readies himself for a task for which he seems lamentably unprepared. The next day, Ivar finds a stranger naked and unconscious. It’s years since the landlord’s agent came to collect rent and even more since his remaining family left the island, begging him to go with them. As Ivar nurses John back to health, he begins to realise how lonely he’s been, transferring the affections for the picture of Mary he’s found in John’s belongings as they learn each other’s language. With no news of her husband, Mary makes her way to the island, not knowing what she might find.
Into her mind a picture came of this vast emptying-out – a long, grey and never-ending procession of tiny figures snaking their way like a river through the country.
Although I enjoyed and admired both West and The Mission House, Clear stands head and shoulders above both for me. Davies’ author’s note tells us that her novella grew out of her discovery of Jakob Jakobsen’s Norn dictionary, a dialect long since fallen out of use, which seems entirely fitting for a novel marked by its striking use of language. The narrative shifts between John, Ivar and Mary: Ivar’s world is tiny but rich in detail, summoned up in evocative word pictures, while Mary and John each come from urban worlds where knowledge is prized. The greed of landlords determined to squeeze the last drop of profit out of people whose lives are already austere beyond their imaginings is deftly conveyed. All this is delivered in elegantly spare prose from which gorgeous images sing out together with the occasional flash of humour. The ending isn’t what I expected at all but it’s a pleasing one which suits the pragmatic and resourceful Mary well.
Granta Books: London 9781803510408 160 pages Hardback
I didn’t really get on with West, although I did think there was a lot to admire. This sounds powerful, a good place for me to revisit this author!
The writing is outstanding in this one. Well worth trying again, I think!
I’ll happily read anything by Carys Davies but if this is even better than West, then it’s definitely going to be my next purchase.
I hope you love it as much as I did, Karen. I was disappointed not to see it on the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist.
She seems always to be on the cusp of getting the accolades she deserves
She’ll be on my Booker wishlist.
I’m quite tempted by this, I must admit. It great to see a degree of development in West’s writing too, especially as West was such a striking novella.
This one’s very different in terms of its subject but if you enjoyed the writing in West, Jacqui, I think you’d be impressed.
*Adds to the list for Novella November!*
Excellent!
I loved Mission House and thought it didn’t get all the attention it deserved, so this review has me eager to read this new offering. Somehow West passed me by, but I’ll catch up with that too ASAP .
Fingers crossed your library will have a copy of both.
Sounds like this is Davies in top form. I loved “West” so “Clear” sounds like a must read. It releases here in the US in April. I’ll look forward to it!
One of my books of 2024, for sure. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
I like the sound of this book and this author. Well done!
Definitely one of my books of 2024.
This sounds very good Susan, I saw this on a lot of ‘wishlists’ for the Women’s Prize and it sounds worth reading.
I was so disappointed that it didn’t appear on the longlist, Cathy. Such a strikingly beautiful piece of writing.
An interesting period of history – I’ll look out for it.
The writing is stunning although it’s not a very typical historical novel.
Carys Davis really does sound like a good writer, these historical events are ones I know absolutely nothing about. It sounds fascinating.
Not something I know much about either. Her writing is so striking. I don’t think she’s a poet but she writes as if she is.
I like what you have had to say about the ending; I like to be surprised but in a way that feels right, suited to a character in particular!
This one worked so well in that respect. Very satisfying!
‘Clear stands head and shoulders above both for me. ‘ excellent! This is on my TBR, hoping to read it for Dewithon….
I hope you love it as much as I did, Brona. Still sulking about it not being on the Women’s Prize list.
I held off reading your review until I’d written mine. We both chose the same quotation!
We did! Hard to choose, wasn’t it. I had so many jotted down.