Barrow upon Soar Community Library’s book review for summer 2022 is The Road Dance by James Mackay.

The story is set in the Outer Hebrides around the time of the 1st World War when many islanders dreamed of a new and exciting life in America and an end to the isolated and desperately poor, hard lives led on the islands. The main character, Kirsty falls in love with Murdo who shares her dreams of a very different life in America. Conscripted young men were paid to join up and leave their families and their island lives, many of them not returning. As the author puts it “The islands had a strong tradition of supplying fodder for the imperial battlefields”. A traditional celebratory Road Dance is held to send the young men off to war and that night a horrific attack changes Kirsty’s life forever. There follows her struggle to overcome the prejudice and gossip of locals, avoid the condemnation of the church and preserve her reputation.

This short but beautiful novel conjures up vividly the remote life lead on the Hebridean Islands. Kirsty has great aspirations to make an independent life for herself until her world comes crashing down. It’s a love story and a mystery with secrets and lies which keeps you guessing right to the end. I loved the richness of the story, the strongly drawn characters and the beautiful setting. A short novel which is difficult to leave once started, it has, not surprisingly, been made into a film which was released in May 2022. The author, a coanchor on Scottish Television’s News at Six, is one I have never come across, and the book was first published in 2002, however, the reprinted book and its film debut should ensure that John Mackay’s name and other publications gain a new appreciation.

The Barrow Community Library has a wealth of choice for borrowers. Not only do we have the Leicestershire Libraries selection but we also have our own Community Book selection which is constantly added to from your generous donations of recently published and good quality books.

Catherine Holmes