Kate O'Shea's Reviews > Clear

My deep and abiding love for Carys Davies' work continues. Clear is everything I hoped for - a simple but compelling story, characters I felt sympathy for, a stunning piece of historical fiction. Carys Davies never disappoints me.

Clear tells the story of John Ferguson, his wife Mary, and an islander called Ivar whose lives intersect when Ferguson is sent to Ivar's tiny island between Norway and the Shetlands to tell him he must leave.

The story is set during a tumultuous time in Scotland - the Clearances of huge swathes of land as the landowners forced tenants off the land to make way for more profitable pursuits. Ferguson is also a church man who, like others, had split from the Church of Scotland to form the new Free Church.

It's a huge subject to tackle but Carys Davies effortlessly makes it about the characters - their hopes, dreams and loves.

Suffice to say if you loved her previous work you will love this and if you haven't read any before then I highly recommend this beautiful, short, perfectly formed novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Granta Publications for the advance review copy. It was well worth the wait since Mission House.