Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Summer Hours" by Alessandra Thom is the most compelling read. It is small but it is also mighty. It tells the story of one hot summer in Edinburgh where the heat is the result of more than just the rising mercury in the thermometer.

Roisin and Eve are life-long friends who are yet to find their place in the world. They drift along cancelling plans, avoiding work and drinking wine. It’s a situation that leaves Roisin feeling her life is stagnating. She feels she has little in common with the people with whom she mixes, but she has little inclination to change things. She lives with another friend, Cal, upon whom she often depends to keep a roof over her head and food on the table. When Eve comes to stay and prevails on both Roisin and Cal to provide for her too, a week turns into months and Roisin relishes the time she spends with her friend. She is infatuated, but it’s complicated.

When Roisin gets a job offer from Eve’s friend Claire, it is at a time when her bank account is empty and she can’t pay her rent. Claire offers a way out of the rut Roisin is in and the pay is good, but there are strings attached. Things that Roisin would once have shared with Eve she no longer feels she can, so she keeps her counsel and works to keep her two lives separate. No way does she want to spend time with Eve and Claire together, though she knows Eve carries a torch for Claire.

The story is written in the third person and as such provides a voyeuristic view of the lives of the four main characters. Edinburgh is one of the stars of the book and those who know the city well will journey through it with a comfortable familiarity. Roisin’s mental anguish is palpable throughout and the whole storyline has an intensity brought about by her need to make something of her life, whilst at the same time clinging onto hope that her love will be reciprocated. Can she break the cycle and move on or is she destined to remain in limbo whilst other people decide her fate? This is a brilliant coming of age novel, beautifully written and sensitively presented which this reader highly recommends.