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A beautifully observed, wry novel of the dislocation of family life and a marriage, and of loss and love, set on the western coast of Scotland.
Once it was a family home. Now they are all at sea…
When Anna and David receive a phone call late one evening, their lives are upturned. Within minutes, they are travelling to the west coast of Scotland, preparing to care for two young sisters, tragically and suddenly orphaned.
It’s a beautiful place, the heather is in bloom, the birds wheel above the waves, the deer graze peacefully in the distance. But the large granite house is no longer a home for the girls, and Anna knows she can never take the place of their mother. Then David invites his friend to stay, to ‘ease them through’ and Anna finds herself increasingly isolated, with everything she – and the girls – once knew of life discarded and overruled by a man of whom she is deeply suspicious.
(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Once it was a family home. Now they are all at sea…
When Anna and David receive a phone call late one evening, their lives are upturned. Within minutes, they are travelling to the west coast of Scotland, preparing to care for two young sisters, tragically and suddenly orphaned.
It’s a beautiful place, the heather is in bloom, the birds wheel above the waves, the deer graze peacefully in the distance. But the large granite house is no longer a home for the girls, and Anna knows she can never take the place of their mother. Then David invites his friend to stay, to ‘ease them through’ and Anna finds herself increasingly isolated, with everything she – and the girls – once knew of life discarded and overruled by a man of whom she is deeply suspicious.
(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
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Reviews
With characters that are sharply observed with a beady eye for detail, this is a haunting study of family, grief, and loss
This slender novel puts a fragile family under the spotlight with great effect
Exquisitely written, with a beautiful balance between darkness and humour
A clever exploration of family and grief
'Beautifully written and well-paced - a real page-turner which I read in two sittings . . . I can still picture every corner of the island as though I was there - a place of unease, mystery and wild beauty'
Praise for Look at Me:
Praise for The Wilderness:
'Evocative, stunning and so beautifully written, the landscape of the wilderness smothers Anna as effectively as her marriage has always done. A powerful book about how the needs of men often consume the women and girls around them. I absolutely loved it'
'Darkly beautiful and exquisitely written, I loved this haunting story'
A slender, intense book that explores grief and love, but with such a sharp attention to detail that I found it very difficult to put down
A clever exploration of family and grief. Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds
'Swept away in the depth and darkness of her storytelling, the beauty of the landscape and these fragile, damaged relationships'
'Pungently atmospheric . . . beautiful descriptions'
'Almost indecently readable . . . Duguid keeps the tension almost at boiling point'
'Insightful, moving, and with a gloriously described location where nature rules'
A wonderful, intense, evocative experience'