Clear by Carys Davies. Published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, Inc. Publication is set for 02 April 2024. Format: eBook. General Fiction (Adult). Historical Fiction. 5 Stars.

Carys Davies writes lyrically of a vanished way of life during Scotland’s Highland Clearances—evictions that tore apart clans and families from their way of life and endemic folkways—in a novel that has revealed the forgotten language of the 1840s Scottish islander. A solitary man and his beloved animals; the avian, the land, the sky and the many moods of the wind and sea—the seasons of his rhythmic life come alive with words honoring each impermanent and fleeting aspect with a near photographic quality reminiscent of Ann Cleeves.

This book shivers with the frailties of a way of a life on the edge of certain extinction. Enfolding loss in its embrace, it picks its way to acceptance through the common ground of love and respect. What lasts is not the heart breaking but the weaving of the past into the present and the promised future of its characters, all of whom transform to the highest potential of themselves in their moment of doubt about what is ethical and what is right and what is possible and what can be done with authentic love—the kind that God asks of one—necessary questions they ask themselves about will happen when the axe meets the wood.

Not surprisingly, there is great film potential here. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing this ebook for review.

John is an impoverished Scottish minister who has the job of evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland, Ivar. Ivar has been living alone for decades with only animals and sea for company. Shortly after John arrives on the island he falls and injures himself, and Ivar rescues him. As they learn to communicate, they also learn to see each other and build a connection.

This was a short succinct story. I was intrigued and wish that this one would have been longer so we would have gotten some more character development. I felt that we just barely scratched the surface on who these characters were. I think that I learned so much in the author’s note at the end, and I needed that information to be in the story. I loved the writing though, the short chapters and choppy style really worked for this one. It felt more authentic to the time and just felt right. I loved how the two characters didn’t speak the same language, yet they worked hard to understand each other and get along. The ending was perfect and heartwarming. Just what I needed it to be. I also enjoyed getting the story from both Ivar and John’s points of view.

I recommend this for those looking for a historical fiction piece reminiscent of the 1800’s.

Thank you so much to Scribner for sending me a copy of this one and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I knew almost nothing about this particular setting and time period but I love Carys Davies’ writing and trusted that she wouldn’t lead me astray - I was right, and this was one of the best books I read this year. I was so moved by the relationship between John and Ivar, and the exploration of how we communicate and the value or lack thereof in spoken language. I was so glad to learn about the Scottish Clearances as well, as I was totally ignorant before reading this novel. It is the perfect read for grey winter days, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

This was enjoyable, but far too short of a read. I would've liked for it to be longer and explore the characters and their stories more. It just felt like it was too slight to really justify a whole novel.

Set during the 1840s and the Highland Clearances, this novella follows John Ferguson, a Scottish minister who has broken from the traditional church system to follow the Free Church. This move leaves him and his wife Mary impoverished, and an in-law finds him work with a landowner. His task: travel to a remote island in the North Sea and evict the last remaining tenant, a quiet man named Ivar. Soon after John's arrival on the island, he falls from a cliff and is injured and unconscious for a couple of days before Ivar finds him and nurses him back to health. And though the two men speak different languages, they slowly find common ground before their secrets are revealed.

The compact storytelling here circles between John's and Ivar's viewpoints, with the occasional glimpses from Mary, and showcases the patience, kindness, and thoughts of each character. Their interactions hold both a quiet tenderness and a growing tension as the story builds to an unexpected conclusion. What I really appreciated was how the landscape itself becomes another character, in the descriptions as well as in the words Ivar teaches to John about it. The story captures the difficulty of a particular period in history but also how individuals connect and find ways around the outside forces arrayed against them. Beautiful and thought-provoking -- 4 stars.

Thank you, Scribner and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

A sweet, quick read, perfect for the winter months!

Ivar and John aren't obvious friendship material, but what transpires within the simple (and stunning) storytelling of this brief novel is the perfect story of unexpected friendship. They stumble into a friendship even though their languages are different, their lifestyles are vastly different, as their worldviews turn around:

"It was as if [Ivar] never full understood his solitude until now - as if, with the arrival of John Ferguson, he had been turned into something he'd never been or hadn't been for a long time..."

Literary fiction at its best ,I was immediately swept into the story. The two characters John and Ivar the Island their interaction.I especially was moved by Johns wife Mary who was left home. A beautiful special novel I enjoyed from beginning to end .#netgalley #scribner

This felt like the kind of story that might have been written many decades ago, one that might have been read in school, one that reflects a profound truth about human nature and our need to connect to each other, one that has a classic feel, one with a stunning ending that encourages faith in humanity. Two historical events set this quiet, introspective novel in motion - the split in the Scottish Church and the Clearances as the author describes in her notes where “whole communities of the rural poor were removed from their homes by landowners in a relentless program of coercive and systematic dispossession to make way for crops, cattle and increasingly as time went on - sheep.” I knew about neither of these. The beauty of learning through well written historical fiction. It’s a short novel, so I’m not going to go into detail of the plot. The book description tells much of it.

I wanted to read this because I loved [book:West|35297141] by Davies. While very different stories, I found the beautiful atmospheric writing and a deep reflection of what loneliness feels like. This is worth reading for the writing, the thought provoking and touching ending and characters who will stay with me.


I received a copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley.

A lovely little book. Perhaps concluded a bit too swiftly, nevertheless a fine, vivid, luminous portrait of place and people. The tragedies below the surface are palpable and the historic injustice sharp. But mostly this is a chamber piece of attachment between a trio of individuals at a time of flux. Recommended.

Solid. This has excellent writing, and engaging plot with a little mystery, and well created characters. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

A very good fictional representation of what took place in the 1800s in Scotland. I had no prior knowledge of land being taken from the poor until I read the Afterword. Overall a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

A short and surprising novel about a minister who has taken on the task of clearing the lone inhabitant of a remote Scottish island in the 1840s. His connections to his wife and to the mysterious islander are sensitively explored in unexpected ways.

This would be the perfect book to read on a rainy afternoon by a fire not because it's a cozy feel-good tale, although it is one of hope and understanding, but because you'll be glad of your warm home of modern conveniences and yet still perhaps yearn for a wild island of solitude as well.

The perfect palate cleanser - a beautifully described, completely atmospheric, tidy little novella about a lone man on an island and the married Free Church of Scotland priest who comes to fetch him off. The historical period was interesting since I know little about Scottish history and nothing about the Free Church break with the Presbyterian Church or about the Clearances (the forceful eviction of tenants from land to clear the way for sheep). My favorite character was actually Mary, the priest's pragmatic and brave wife.

Thanks to the publisher for a Netgalley DRC.

This book is a wonderful read. Full of mystery and wonderful descriptions of this barren island. I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I loved WEST, so was v excited to read this one. Overall, I thought it was great! Very atmospheric, i loved the friendship that developed between the two main characters...and I especially loved the wife left at home.

The setting is a remote island off of Scotland in the 1840’s…during the Scottish Clearance’s, where the rural population was cleared (removed) from the land with forced evictions.
John… a poor Scottish minister leaves his wife in the care of relatives and accepts the job of removing the last inhabitant on this island.
After traveling there he has an injury that leaves him in a coma and with bad bodily injuries.
This is where we meet Ivar.. the man who’s to be evicted… he finds John and takes him to his home and cares for him.
Ivar has only had the sea and various animals as company for many years. He and John don’t speak the same language. So.. when John recovers he won’t know why this man is there.
This is a quiet, and serene novel… beautiful setting..it is sensitive and unpredictable.


Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC!

I completed Clear a few weeks after I started reading it. Even though the book was short, at around 200 pages, it did not hook me as I had originally anticipated. I based my excitement to read this book around the premise and summary provided by the author/publisher. While the content of the novel is true, I did not feel as if the book itself spent enough time developing the 'intense' connecting by John and Ivar. And while their character development is clear in the brief time we spend with them both, I had hope to discover even more about them. Regardless, the book overall was well-written and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a short, easy read.

I want to thank the publisher, Scribner, for the ARC of this book.

If you're looking for a light, easy read this book is not it. At the same time, one shouldn't be deceived by the short length of the story. Carys Davies has written a thought provoking story about the Clearances in Scotland in the 1840's. It's a story about relationships, about understanding others even when people are so different. It's about being lonely vs. being alone and about solitude vs. living with others. It's about different kinds of love. It's about truly communicating. It's about consciences. All of this is set against the beautiful backdrop of a northern isle of Scotland which the author does a tremendous job of describing and making one feel as though they are there. It is a quick read, but it's one which will make you think and search for the depth of the work.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy.

In 2018 I read Davies <i>’West’</i>, in 2021 I read her <i>’The Mission House’</i> and loved them both, so when I saw she had this new book on the horizon, I knew I wanted to read it. Once again, she managed to pull me into this story from the start, and kept me captive in a wilderness, surrounded by both danger and beauty.

Set in the 1840’s on an island during the last phase of the Scottish Clearances, this is the story of a Scottish minister, John, who must travel to this island, his purpose being to evict the one remaining man still living on the island. He leaves his wife to travel there, hesitant to do what he knows he must - evict this man, Ivan.

Not long after he arrives, John is injured, and Ivan brings him to his property, which serves as his home. There, he is able to care for him. There is no real conversation between them at first, since neither speaks the other's language, but as time passes, a bond is formed, and they come to understand each other.

This was one of those quietly lovely, moving, compassionate, and heartfelt reads for me. One that will stay with me for a long time.


Pub Date: 02 Apr 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner

I really enjoyed reading this, it had everything that I was looking for in a historical fiction novel. The story was unique and felt like it belonged in this time-period. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and was invested in what was going on. Carys Davies has a great writing style and it left me wanting more.