News of the Dead

News of the Dead is a 2022 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction winner that explores the stories of Glen Conach,a quiet,unnoticed place with few people,few memories,and almost no reliable records. It is a captivating exploration of refuge,retreat,and the reception of strangers,measuring the space between the stories people tell of themselves and the stories through which they may be remembered.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 05 August 2021
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Deep within the rugged mountains of northeast Scotland lies Glen Conach, a place steeped in secrets and memories, where fable intertwines with history. Within its confines, three distinct eras unfold, separated by centuries yet bound by an ancient manuscript, and echoed through the ages. In ancient Pictland, a Christian hermit named Conach meditates on the divine and the natural world, performs miracles, and prepares himself for a sacrificial act. Centuries after his passing, the tales of his extraordinary life are recorded by an unknown hand in the revered Book of Conach.

Generations later, in the early 19th century, the self-promoting antiquarian Charles Kirkliston Gibb is drawn to the Glen, and into the grand house at its heart. Meanwhile, in the present day, a young boy named Lachie confides in Maja, telling her of a ghost he claims to have seen. Maja, with her lifetime of experiences, believes him, for she, too, is haunted by the ghosts of her past.

News of the Dead is a captivating exploration of refuge, retreat, and the reception of strangers. It delves into the distance between the stories people tell about themselves—what they forget and what they invent—and the stories that may or may not preserve their legacies. Through its intricate narrative, the book invites readers to reflect on the complexities of memory, identity, and the enduring power of storytelling.

Weight: 602g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241401996