REVIEWS

MUSIC IN THE DARK

Written by: Sally Magnusson

Published by: Two Roads

Price: £16.99

I found this a deeply moving, astonishing and beautiful book. Several times its unexpected twists took me by surprise and I caught my breath. Though a work of fiction and a story about later love, it is solidly rooted in contemporary accounts and the statements of witnesses to the Clearances which took place in Glencalvie and Greenyards in the 1850s. As the crofters began to resist their eviction, it was the women who took the lead on the assumption that they would not be manhandled. On March 31 1854 a number of women were treated with unprovoked savagery by the police, suffering dreadful injuries. The novel is about the echoes of those injuries, the lasting harm they caused and how despite all this, somehow the human spirit can revive and heal up to a point.

As I read this, I was forcefully reminded of Linda Sanford’s book, Strong at the Broken Places: Overcoming the Trauma of Childhood Abuse (1991), which I read during my early days teaching moral theology at the University of Birmingham. There was a view that cruelty was to do with handing on, that those who suffered childhood cruelty were so damaged that they were often disposed to inflict that which they had themselves suffered. For over seventeen years the psychotherapist Linda Sanford interviewed many victims of childhood abuse and neglect, refuting the received wisdom that they were locked into a vicious circle. She illustrated how desperately damaged people can learn, move on, be productive and help others. Thirty years ago, it was a ‘must read’ book.

Sally Magnusson’s novel follows the story of two people damaged in Feàrnaich field in March 1854. One suffers dreadful head injuries, becomes a servant and washerwoman in Rutherglen. The other, a child witness, internalises his terror, emigrates to America and endures a kind of child slavery in a button factory, later becoming a shoemaker and returning to Scotland. He becomes the lodger of the then widowed washerwoman.

I think I was most moved by the appendix which was completely unexpected. Sally’s own feisty Gaelic-speaking great-grandmother, Annie McKechnie Baird, was cleared from Mull and entered domestic service as a child in Glasgow. She lost all but one of her children to tuberculosis, took in washing to make ends meet, and rented a room to a far-travelled younger man whom she later married. He had worked in a lethal button making factory in Newark.

The so much damaged young woman described in the novel had been a precocious child, learned Latin from the Free Church minister, was a poet and wrote songs. Gradually, through patience, love, encouragement and humour she rediscovers her gifts and in doing so, brings a different healing to the man she married.

What a remarkable, gifted and courageous person Sally Magnusson is, steeped in the power of words, a story teller, driven by conscience, our best commentator on national events. There is nothing sentimental here. It’s a wonderful book about hope and the possibility of healing.

THE IONA ABBEY COOKBOOK

Written by: Anja Jardine

Published by: Wild Goose Publications

Price: £16.99

Food is at the centre of the ministry of hospitality offered by the Iona Community to their guests at the Abbey. Now, the longserving head of the Iona Abbey kitchen has released a recipe book showcasing delicious, healthy and inclusive meals while also highlighting the importance of gratitude and ethical discernment in our food choices.

The Iona Abbey Cookbook has been written by Anja Jardine, who has worked in the kitchen at the Abbey for over 17 years. It includes (often with vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives) soups, salads, numerous vegetarian main courses, fish and seafood, meat, sandwich spreads, bread, sweet treats, drinks and – as many Abbey guests will affirm – the best porridge ever.

Anja’s culinary expertise is complemented by her deep-rooted belief in ethical food practices. Drawing from her upbringing on the other side of the Iron Curtain, Anja understands the value of not taking food for granted. Her experiences have instilled in her a strong conviction that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, should have access to good food.

Her recipes prioritise local ingredients, supporting nearby producers and reducing food miles. Fair Trade, organic farming, and a range of plant-based options take centre stage, reflecting the Iona Community’s ethos of living simply and responsibly on Earth. While the majority of the book is vegetarian, there are sections devoted to meat and fish, always with an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable and humane farming practices. She also ensures that the meals are affordable and nutritious.

Thomas Baldwin