Clear is one of those books that sucks you in and doesn’t let go. At just under 150 pages, it’s a perfect one-session read. Carys Davies conjures up so much emotion in such a concise way and draws you instantly into the world of Clear. The world being a small, isolated Scottish island.
Opening sentence: He wished he could swim – the swimming belt felt like a flimsy thing and it had been no comfort to be told not to worry, the men couldn’t swim either.
Clear the silence
Clear is essentially a look at the subtle ways humans communicate, especially when they are repressed to begin with.
Set against the backdrop of the 1843 formation of the Free Church in Scotland that saw many ministers breaking off from the main Scottish church, one of our lead characters is Jon Ferguson, a priest who does just that.
This new religious endeavour left him (and so many others) poor, so he took other jobs to supplement his income. One of which was going to a remote Scottish island to ‘clear’ the last remaining man living there, island native, Ivar.
It’s Jon and Ivar’s tantalising dynamic that’s the centre of this book.
Island life
Jon left behind his wife, Mary to go to the island and as she begins to worry about him, she decides to travel to the island, not knowing what she might find there…
Clear is so beautifully paced and crafted, I loved it. The stark scenery is beautifully conjured on every page and as the men don’t fully share a language, with Ivar speaking his native language and Jon learning it, all the other ways they build a connection gives this such emotional depth.
I’ve read great things about Carys Davies’ other novel West, so will be picking that one up soon.
- Get your copy of Clear here;
- Published by Granta 2024;
- 146 pages;
- My rating:
Books on the 7:47 