This is a difficult book to explain in a written review. It relates a contemporary story of love, mystery and murder to stories of the same during the violent history of the Scottish Borders. As ever, Andrew Greig writes evocatively of the countryside, clearly sketching the bare hills, dark peaty lochs, rushing streams, dry-stone dykes and scattered cottages.

The story weaves between present, past and distant past, with all the events purporting to be connected in some way to the set of patterned plates passed down to Marnie. Her intrepretation of the stories on these plates drives her actions and yet we do not quite see what she sees, nor where she is heading. That is all left to our own interpretation. All of this sounds very confusing, but it is not, as Greig weaves the different threads together effortlessly and beautifully.

RELEASE NOTES: Left near the summit of Spidean Coire Clach, Beinne Eighe.

The photograph shows the view west towards Coinneach Mhor, and the bulk of Ruadh-stac Mor on the right of the picture.

I left this book at the trig point approx 100m SW of Spidean Coire nan Clach. The book was wedged against the shelter wall.

We choose to tackle Beinne Eighe from the east of the ridge instead of the more usual Corie Mhic Fearchar route. Starting from the road approximately 0.5km west of Kinlochewe, we followed the path leading west along the Alt a' Chuim. This path led onto the scree covered W ridge of Creag Dhubh and after a little slipping up this steep ascent we reached the first top at 907m. The ridge west to Sgurr nan Fhir Duibhe was spectacularly narrow and exposed in places with short interesting scrambling sections. Following the ridge further west took us to Sgurr Ban and onto Spidean Coire nan Clach, the second Munro on Beinn Eigh at 993m. Rather that leave the book at this small, exposed cairn I carried it to the Trig point at 993m (3258ft.

Due to a very late start to our day, we opted to leave the main summit, Rhuadh-stac Mhor for another day and made our desent by the path running down Corie an Laoigh to the road at Loch Bharranch.


Part of my Books on Bens project, see my bookshelf