An externally stark but internally rich, lovely short tale set against the backdrop of the Clearances in nineteenth-century Scotland. Clear is a story about upheaval, where sustenance is found on both common and uncommon ground, and it navigates themes of comfort, change, and the search for fulfillment in the most remote expanses of place and spirit. It is also a compact love letter to lost language and communication across physical, emotional, regional, and socio-economic boundaries. A tightly-knit opus that needs no further introduction or conclusion; Davies guides us over the crest of but one perfectly-formed, undulating whitecap in a fathomless northern sea. ( )

Beautifully written, it tells the story of the Scottish Clearances and particularly the story of John, a clergyman of the new church, who is sent to a remote Scottish island to evict its last resident. John suffers an injury, and Ivar, the man he is sent to evict, comes to his aid. Meanwhile John's wife Mary learns the factor who sent John on the errand likely expected him to fail in his mission. The book was on track to be a 5 star read until the last 40 pages or so when it took what I consider an inappropriate direction. If I had not started reading it at night, I could easily have read it in a single sitting. ( )

Beautiful and poetic, a little gem. I highly recommend the audio, I listened to it over the weekend while gardening and it put me in another world. ( )

Listened on audio. What a beautiful little story this is. its been reviewed much better by others, specifically our friend Richard, so I won't belabor the point. But, briefly, John is a clergyman, come to a remote Scottish island to evict the last inhabitant so the island can be given over exclusively to sheep grazing. Ivar is that man. He speaks a lost language and when John arrives and is injured, Ivar nurses him back to health but they can't communicate. Ivar doesn't know why John's there and John comes to wonder why he's there too. The form an unusual friendship that comes to a head when John's wife Mary comes to the island to find her husband. Its a short book, but one well worth the time. This is the second of Davies' books I've read. I'll have to keep her on the watch list. ( )

The 19th century brought fundamental change to Scotland. A religious rebellion caused one-third of the country’s clergy to break away and form the Free Church of Scotland. At the same time, landowners were systematically evicting poor rural tenants in order to use their land more profitably; this was known as The Clearances. Carys Davies imagines one man, John Ferguson, at the intersection of this social upheaval. Ferguson is one of the new ministers in the Free Church of Scotland. He is optimistic about the future, but lacks a church of his own and the commensurate income. His brother-in-law recommends him to a landowner who needs someone to remove the one “stubborn” long-term tenant remaining on his land. Ferguson sets aside all his instincts and reservations and accepts the opportunity.

The tenant, Ivar, lives on a remote (fictitious) island somewhere between the Shetlands and Norway. Ferguson arrives by boat and then sets off on foot to find Ivar. Things don’t go according to plan, and before the two even meet Ivar comes across Ferguson unconscious, badly injured in a fall. He takes Ferguson into his home and cares for him as he recovers from his injuries. Ivar speaks only a local dialect, and all of Ferguson’s notes on the language were lost in the fall. There is no way Ferguson can convey his purpose. As the two men find ways to communicate their relationship strengthens and Ferguson’s task becomes more awkward. Meanwhile, Ferguson’s wife Mary becomes worried about not having heard from him, and sets out for the island herself. This sets up an emotional conclusion which affected me more deeply than I had anticipated.

Clear is a short novel; it could be read in a day but benefits from a slower approach. Clear your mind, clear your calendar, and allow Carys Davies’ sublime prose to wash over you. ( )