Letters of Ivor Punch
'A truly original and enthralling novel...mischievous, sad, funny and truthful' Stephen Kelman, BOOKER-SHORTLISTED author of PIGEON ENGLISH
'Clever, poignant, beautiful ... peopled by a cast of brilliantly off-the-wall characters, and full of keen-eyed observations about life on a remote Scottish island - and, by extension, everywhere. A must-read' Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US
WINNER OF THE EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL FIRST BOOK AWARD, from the author also known as The Mull Historical Society.
When Fingal McMillan rows out into the Atlantic never to return, his grandson Alexander is left with questions. What really happened to Alexander's mother? Was his grandfather trying to reach The Looming, a rock of local myth? And why have mysterious words appeared on the cliff by the bay?
Alexander is not the only local boy whose origins are clouded by mystery - a mystery which stretches back to Victorian times, when a pioneering travel writer alighted on Scottish shores. But will the island give up its secrets? Or will Ivor Punch - the man who links the past to the present - take them to the grave?
Colin MacIntyre is an award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has released seven albums to date, most notably under the name Mull Historical Society, so far achieving two Top 20 albums and four Top 40 singles. He has been voted Scotland's Top Creative Talent and has toured worldwide, including with The Strokes, Elbow and REM, and has played all the major festivals. He has performed live on BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, Radio 4, Later with Jools Holland and The Jonathan Ross Show, among many others. Born into a family of writers and storytellers, Colin grew up on the isle of Mull in the Hebrides but now lives in London.