The Other Landscape

Neil M Gunn wrote over 30 years, ending with The Atom of Delight in 1956. His last novel, The Other Landscape, is set in the east coast of Scotland's most northerly mainland county, with a fishing hotel and its English residents, local ghillies, and a solitary white house near the cliffs. The Major, a retired military officer-cum-diplomat, is an insensitive and overbearing man who disdains his fellows and is aggressive towards those who challenge his views. The hotel's life is lightened by two incidents involving the Major, but the solitary and bereaved occupant of the white house faces the shadow of death and the inherent tragedies of life and death.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 30 August 2024
Publisher: Whittles Publishing

Neil M. Gunn, one of Scotland's most celebrated 20th-century authors, penned his literary masterpiece, "The Atom of Delight," over a span of three decades, commencing in 1926 and concluding in 1956. Two years prior to this, he crafted his final novel, "The Other Landscape," which is set against the backdrop of the east coast of Scotland's most northerly mainland county. This picturesque setting includes a fishing hotel, its English inhabitants, the local ghillies who catered to them, and a solitary white house near the cliffs, where a man from the South resides alone. Adding to the narrative, a retired military officer-turned-diplomat named the Major enters the scene, revealing himself as an insensitive and domineering individual who holds disdain for his peers and becomes aggressive towards those who question his beliefs or exhibit any form of disrespect. Despite his paternalistic demeanor towards the local community, he harbors a deep contempt for it. The hotel's daily routine is occasionally punctuated by two incidents, both directly involving the Major, which result in amusing outcomes but also cause significant embarrassment for the Major and amusement for the guests and staff. In stark contrast to the hotel's sporting activities, the fate of the solitary and bereaved occupant of the white house adds a poignant dimension to the narrative. The presence of death, both in the past and the present, looms over the house, intertwining with the protagonist's ability to perceive the future through second sight and the intriguing phenomenon of "recurrence," where patterns of events inexplicably repeat themselves. Through this juxtaposition, the reader is invited to contemplate the realities of life and death, as well as the inherent tragedies that are inherent within them. However, the story ultimately offers a glimmer of hope and renewal.

Weight: 322g
Dimension: 197 x 130 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781849955850
Edition number: New ed