Faith's Reviews > Clear

John is an unemployed Scottish minister who accepts the job of clearing out Ivar, the sole inhabitant of a small island, because somehow he would be in the way of the sheep that the owner of the island intends to raise there. (As an aside, some people are just mean.) John’s wife Mary is concerned for him, and her concern is justified when John is injured in a fall on the island. Ivar (unaware of John’s mission) nurses John back to health and the two men develop a friendship, despite the fact that they can’t speak the same language.

Chekhov advised that a playwright should never put a loaded gun on the stage if it isn’t going to go off. So once a gun was introduced at the beginning of this book, and repeatedly referred to, I expected the gun to be fired. The presence of that gun created a tension throughout the book. However, this spare, elegant, subtle story had a more quiet impact than a gunshot. It was really lovely. I have enjoyed this author’s writing style in the past, but this was my favorite of the three books I’ve read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.