‘A truly original and enthralling novel…mischievous, sad, funny and truthful’ Stephen Kelman, BOOKER-SHORTLISTED author of PIGEON ENGLISH
‘Clever, poignant, beautiful … peopled by a cast of brilliantly off-the-wall characters, and full of keen-eyed observations about life on a remote Scottish island – and, by extension, everywhere. A must-read’ Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US
WINNER OF THE EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL FIRST BOOK AWARD, from the author also known as The Mull Historical Society.
When Fingal McMillan rows out into the Atlantic never to return, his grandson Alexander is left with questions. What really happened to Alexander’s mother? Was his grandfather trying to reach The Looming, a rock of local myth? And why have mysterious words appeared on the cliff by the bay?
Alexander is not the only local boy whose origins are clouded by mystery – a mystery which stretches back to Victorian times, when a pioneering travel writer alighted on Scottish shores. But will the island give up its secrets? Or will Ivor Punch – the man who links the past to the present – take them to the grave?
‘Clever, poignant, beautiful … peopled by a cast of brilliantly off-the-wall characters, and full of keen-eyed observations about life on a remote Scottish island – and, by extension, everywhere. A must-read’ Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US
WINNER OF THE EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL FIRST BOOK AWARD, from the author also known as The Mull Historical Society.
When Fingal McMillan rows out into the Atlantic never to return, his grandson Alexander is left with questions. What really happened to Alexander’s mother? Was his grandfather trying to reach The Looming, a rock of local myth? And why have mysterious words appeared on the cliff by the bay?
Alexander is not the only local boy whose origins are clouded by mystery – a mystery which stretches back to Victorian times, when a pioneering travel writer alighted on Scottish shores. But will the island give up its secrets? Or will Ivor Punch – the man who links the past to the present – take them to the grave?
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Reviews
I raced through this clever, poignant, beautiful book in one sitting. It's peopled by a cast of brilliantly off-the-wall characters, and full of keen-eyed observations about life on a remote Scottish island - and, by extension, everywhere. A must-read.
The poetic prose he uses for sea and the changing island life... is unforgettable
Witty, shocking, curious and wry, it is a multi-faceted novel that delights at every turn... A thing of genius and wonder.
He writes with a clarity of style
MacIntyre is a storyteller with a unique imagination and has created a genuinely heartfelt novel with some standout elements of dark comedy
The Punch family history is both fascinating and sad. The book is interesting, funny, has a famous cameo and keeps you reading, and it's only when you reach the end of the final chapter that the Punch family history falls into place... The characters are original, well-written, and it's one of those books you want to re-read after you've finished it
We meet a pioneering female writer, two fatherless boys, a man who fell from the sky and, of course, the prolific letter writer Ivor Punch
A truly original and enthralling novel. Ivor Punch is a magnificent creation and his story is mischievous, sad, funny and truthful
Beguiling tales built on secrets and sadness, each of them with a keen sense of place
This is a novel packed with funny characters.
As a songwriter, Colin MacIntyre seems always to have been a natural storyteller. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before he turned his abilities to the longer form of the novel. It is fitting that the man best known as Mull Historical Society has crafted a story to which he has put his own name, yet it is a novel which owes so much to his roots on the island of Mull. Such powerful storytelling resonated strongly with readers at the Book Festival, making Colin a runaway winner in voting for the First Book Award