A review by bent
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

2.0

I don't even know what to say about this book. It seemed more a recounting of a certain way of life than an actual novel. I found the dialogue stilted and too formal to seem believable. I found the constant repetition - the dogs, the Gaelic phrases, the "My hope is constant in thee, Clan Donald" tiresome. I found the whole idea of all these people weighted down by the burden of family expectations and constant recitation of Scottish history very claustrophobic. I thought the narrator's sister was the worst-drawn of the characters, only existing to carry on MacLeod's themes. And that there wasn't a lot of plot and what there was wasn't very interesting.

I understand the for many people, the long oral history and huge family would be appealing, but I grew up in the anonymity of a big city with very little family around beyond my immediate one. This way of life where everybody knows who you are is not to my tastes. My wife is from a larger family and community, and it's not as idyllic as MacLeod paints it here. And I don't understand the constant hearkening back to distant history in a country that you may have never set foot in. I never have.

I can see why a some people would find the life he describes appealing, but I can't understand why this book is so well-regarded.