The Scottish Book of the Dead by Gavin Broom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book takes you into the guts of a fractured family in the aftermath of a death. Old enmities, old pains flow in the novel’s veins. Told from the perspective of four characters, the narrative weaves around the family’s tense life. It never feels overloaded, and resolution is always just out of reach, implied creatively in Gavin Broom’s direct, often surreal narrative. The story swings wonderfully across continents, time and realities. Dialect and language are well-handled, giving the characters authenticity.
It’s a funny book too, despite the underlying miseries in the characters’ lives. That mix is managed well, the humour as punchy as the rest of the drama. Mythological references are there (implied clearly in the title), but again, these are never overplayed.
The Scottish Book of the Dead succeeds in drawing disparate, pained lives together into a very enjoyable read.
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