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April 21, 1923. The SS Metagama is inching out of Stornoway harbor, Scotland. On board are Finlay and Mairead, young and hopeful, destined for Detroit.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the effects of the Great Depression are inescapable. Prejudice and division are rife, and though they remain bound by a shared past, their lives soon diverge.
In an adopted country that is tense with both opportunity and loss, can Mairead and Finlay keep their promises to one another to look only forward, and resist the constant pull of home?
From the author of the prize-winning As the Women Lay Dreaming comes a poignant and deeply evocative novel of the 20th-century emigrant experience in the New World. With lyrical prose and masterful storytelling, Murray paints a vivid portrait of the resilient Hebrideans-in-exile who struggled between holding on and letting go.
“Murray is brilliant on the push and pull of the islands on those who left … [the novel] is tender, wise and beautiful.” Antonia Senior, The Times, Book of the Month
“Moving, convincing and crafted with great skill … and distinguished by emotional sincerity. There is also an admirable economy … [written] with such skill and empathy that the novel seems to have been remembered rather than invented … arguably his best novel yet.” Allan Massie, Scotsman
"Well-researched and heartfelt … an especially poignant story, told with an abundance of humanity and compassion." Alastair Mabbott, Herald
“A powerful and poignant exploration of the Hebridean migrant experience.” Herald
“Trauma and separation, war and poverty, identity and belonging are all universal themes … [an] expertly blended distillation of these human truths.” West Highland Free Press
“Very good indeed … [told] with art and with sincerity.” Shetland Times
Praise for Previous Work:
“From the first line I know I’m in the hands of a bard and consummate storyteller. The writing is lyrical and hugely descriptive … The history is rich and fascinating.” Historical Novels Review
“Full of memorable images and singing lines of prose.” Sarah Waters
"A searing poetic meditation on stoicism and loss." BBC Radio 4
"A powerful novel... A poignant exploration of love, loss and survivor's guilt." Sunday Times
“A moving portrait of a place and its people … a quiet, sad but brilliant novel.” Times, Book of the Month
"Murray is an evocative painter of landscapes and a deeply sympathetic writer... a space for forgotten voices to sound, bearing witness not just to this tragedy, but to the terrible cost of World War I itself." Daily Mail
"I loved this book." Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize–winning novelist
"A well-written and well-crafted novel from an author at the height of his powers.” Oban Times