HAME

A really difficult book to review as you feel like you are being unfair. By rights I should have probably loved this book with its mixture of Scottish poetry, meta faction and descriptions of the island, However, I found Mhairi the woman researching McWatt's life pretty annoying as she wanders around the island ignoring her daughter and trying to avoid thinking about her ex husband and stupid affair. The lack of a plot hampers the book, I can't survive on poetry alone and I found the book bit dull and a slog to read at times, The ending made me want to throw the book across the room, it was one of those books when you feel like the writer just ran out of ideas and gave up. I just got so frustrated with the potential, I wanted to pan it but it's just like a beautiful vase with holes in the bottom, brilliantly crafted but ultimately failing in its function. Maybe I would have loved it if it had been about Wales, as it is I am just so pleased to have finished it and be able to return it to the library.