Clear
By Carys Davies
Scribner, 9781668030660, April 2024, 208pp.
The Short of It:
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
The Rest of It:
John, an impoverished Scottish minister, has accepted a job evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland—Ivar, who has been living alone for decades, with only the animals and the sea for company. Though his wife, Mary, has serious misgivings about the errand, he decides to go anyway, setting in motion a chain of events that neither he nor Mary could have predicted. ~ the publisher
This is a beautiful, quiet, novel. Although brief, at just over 200 pages, the prose makes you want to linger in this contemplative story. John’s assignment, to deliver what is basically eviction papers to this island’s lone inhabitant, does not bring him there on good terms and he quietly bristles at the act of removing a man who has been existing on his own, not a bother to anyone. But upon arrival, John makes a misstep and injures himself quite badly.
Ivar, having not seen another human in quite some time, takes full charge of this visitor, not knowing what brought him there and unable to communicate with him in a language he would understand. For a few days, this is not an issue as John remains unconscious.
As John gets stronger under Ivar’s constant attention, he becomes curious about Ivar and wishes he wasn’t there to deliver such bad news. But how would he do that anyway? They don’t speak each other’s languages so John decides to just ride it out. Over solemn, simple meals, John ponders his predicament.
As the days wear on, the two form a bond and they begin to communicate one word at a time. Before long, Ivar pieces things together when he finds the contents of John’s belongings by the sea.
This is one of those novels that speaks volumes. The friendship between the two men is touching. As John continues to heal, his wife Mary sells all she has to secure a boat ride to the island. She intends to fetch John. Easy as that. Just get off the boat, find him, and bring him back.
Not so easy. Those final paragraphs are just beautiful. I highly recommend Clear if you like quiet, pensive reads. It will be on my favorites list at the end of the year.
Source: Borrowed
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