The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith is the prolific author of over one hundred novels, including the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. His newest novel is a stand alone, The Winds from Further West. It’s an uplifting novel about new beginnings, in which a slew of personal and professional disasters cause a young researcher, Neil, to upend his seemingly stable life in Edinburgh and move to a remote island off the Scottish coast.
When a student at his University reports Neil for something he supposedly said during class, Neil finds himself backed into a corner by the new department head, Henrietta. Henrietta thinks he should apologize to the student and move on, but Neil is innocent of the charge and does not believe in apologizing for something he didn’t do.
A few days later, as he considers what to do, he discovers that his girlfriend is cheating on him. With his life tipped upside down, he resigns and takes a friend up on the offer to stay at his vacation home off the coast of Scotland. There, he finds the comradery of a group of locals who introduce him to island life and the local veterinarian, Jill.
It sounds like a sweet story, unfettered by the culture wars of today, but Alexander McCall Smith has something to say about the state of our affairs. Though he lives in Scotland, the winds from further west have blown conflict and an increasing incapacity for civil discourse in matters both personal and professional throughout the land. Through his story, Smith seems to be reminding us that the moral center still holds … if we choose it.
Neil chooses the higher path; he does not seek revenge on his former director or girlfriend, instead he chooses justice with mercy. Why?
“The world’s in a sorry mess,” Neil said. “People put so much energy into finding fault with others, with attacking them, with calculating personal advantage … We’ve broken the bonds that exist between us, with the result that we are all potential enemies of one another, locked in mutual suspicion and distrust … I can’t bear to be a part of that any longer.”
Listen to my conversation with Alexander 24 McCall Smith on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p.m. and the 26th at 6 a.m. on Superior Reads on WTIP Radio 90.7 Grand Marais or on the web at www.wtip.org. This is Lin Salisbury with Superior Reviews.
