Consider the Lilies

Iain Crichton Smith is a Scottish poet, dramatist, and novelist whom I had never heard of until I saw a reference to this book on a Scottish website and ordered it. It is a short work (only 160 pages) and written in a simple style that is highly effective. The story is about an elderly woman who, at the beginning of the novel, is informed that she is to be removed from her cottage in the Scottish Highlands and resettled along the coast with other villagers. This is the time of the Highland Clearances and the Duke of Sutherland, like other landowners of that period, wants the villages on his land razed so he can more profitably raise sheep. This was a dark time in Scottish history and many of those relocated to the coast died of starvation and illness. Despite the historical context, however, this is not a novel about the Highland Clearances. It is character study of an elderly woman, Mrs. Scott, and how she begins to change over the period of two weeks before the villagers are to be turned out of their homes. Her husband died many years before and her son has immigrated to Canada. Religion is her sole consolation. Her thoughts are the mechanism that move the story forward--flashbacks to the past and considerations of the present. The imagery is often beautiful. I don't want to say too much about what is uncovered through this device or it might ruin the story for you. It is a compelling read, though. I started the book at 10 p.m. on a week day, thinking I would read the first chapter or two before bed, and read through chapter 8. I regretfully stopped because I got too sleepy to continue. I finished it the next day. I plan to read more of Crichton Smith's work. This is a beautiful book that should be better known here.