switterbug (Betsey)'s Reviews > Clear

Scottish minister John Ferguson doesn’t know it yet, but he’s on a journey of self-discovery that starts with an arduous errand. He accepts decent pay to oust Ivar, the only inhabitant of a remote island beyond Shetland---he has to “clear” Ivar from the island. John and his wife, Mary, are struggling to make ends meet, ever since he broke ties with the established church patronage system and joined the Free Church, which doesn’t yet have an actual church for him to live in and preach from. The small boat he is in for the last leg of travel tips over from a boisterous sea, but he ultimately lands safely, only to have an accident that renders him unconscious. It is Ivar that finds him and nurses him back to health. Ivar speaks a Scots language unknown to John, but as time passes, they each learn a bit of the other’s language, and begin to communicate. John is now feeling awkward about evicting a man who saved his life. I mean, yeah!

This short novel is told from alternating povs, of main characters John, wife Mary, and Ivar. Ivar has a tragic past, followed by so many years of no human contact you wouldn’t blame him if he cried all the time. But he doesn’t—he knits, fishes, stays busy and staves off misery. He desperately misses other human beings, no shame in that. You will see what he does with a found photo of Mary. No, it’s not vulgar at all, it’s totally sweet and cheered me up.

Despite Ivar’s loneliness, I thought he was inspiring and gentle. I was curious whether he would possess a few harsh streaks in him, living alone all these years. So, besides being a survival-in-the-wilderness story, the beating heart of it concerns humans being human with each other and the touches of sadness from living a lonesome life. Ivar wasn’t perpetually lonely because he stayed active doing things he enjoyed. I’d like to think I would be as resourceful as Ivar if I were all alone. But there are times when the lack of human contact is soul-crushing.

There wasn’t a lot of emotional excitement at first, although it is adventurous from page one. Throughout the story, the reader witnesses the quotidian lives of John and Mary, their mundane but interconnected lives. Aren’t most lives mundane, repetitive, peppered with intervals of emotional highs? Well, this is a story that quietly leads the reader to the emotional highs--new experiences for John, Mary, and Ivar. It’s my first time reading Davies—she has a flair for interiority, and sets her scenes like an artist. Even when a character is active and dealing with the harsh elements of nature, we also sense the distilled essence of their private lives.

Davies writes in a clean, lean, stark style, not even a whiff of an extra word. Her polished prose is measured, building to a surprising, unpredictable denouement. Climate and landscape move the tale along, with the roar of the ocean, silent banks of fog, and the explosion of birds covering the sky. Misty and hazy, it’s the summer season of dusky light, no complete darkness on these far north islands. CLEAR is a superb blend of outdoor survival and inward desire, slow to unfold but with a satisfying and touching finale.

Be sure and read the author’s note and dictionary of terms in the Norn language, from which Scots is derived. Davies draws upon Jakob Jakobsen’s Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland, written in the early 20th century. There are multiple and infectious terms for the various kinds of mist, sea, waves, wind, and other features of nature. For example, yog is a heavy sea with short, choppy waves. Dalareek is mist rising from low-lying stagnant water. What an intriguing language!

ADDENDUM Feb 7, '24. I keep thinking about this book. I originally had 4+ stars, but it lingers, I even had a dream about it, and the more I think back on it, the more longing I have for the narrative, the setting, the characters---well, all of it. The problem with rating a book right after reading it is that it is only in the moment. But, in this case, it is CLEAR to me that it is a 5-star book that deserves awards. The denouement initially seemed incredulous to me, which lowered my star rating. But, over time, for some reason, it ceased to matter. The prose, the setting, and the themes of the book rose up above and beyond my initial difficulties. It may not be the same for everyone.

Thank you to Scribner for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for review. I recommend it to all literature lovers.