Review: The Winds from Further West
Gaby Meares
This is a stand alone novel from the prodigious pen of Alexander McCall Smith. As in all his other novels, he gently explores philosophical questions about life and how best to live it. If we are treated unfairly, does this then give us permission to retaliate in a similar vain? If we know of someone’s dishonesty, are we then impelled to report said dishonesty? If we are hurt by the one we love, do we hurt them back?
This is primarily set on the Isle of Mull, which I was fortunate enough to visit last year. It’s isolated, and windswept and beautiful in a uniquely Scottish way! The pace of life is far removed from a busy life in Edinburgh. On the island it seems that there is time to have a conversation that matters. For example:
Neil: ‘Do you ever feel [that] angry? Real Anger?’
James: ’I often feel sad, rather than angry. Cruelty makes me feel that way. When I see somebody putting somebody down, or taking advantage of them, I just feel sad, really, that people can spoil things for other people when we’ve all got such a short time on this planet. I feel sad that people stop others from being happy.’
Or this hypothetical question:
James: ’If you were the midwife delivering the infant Hitler, wouldn’t you have felt justified in smothering him? That would presuppose that you knew what lay ahead, which you wouldn’t, of course.’
Neil: ‘Probably But even then, I don’t think I could.’
James: ‘You might surprise yourself.’
In a world that seems intent on destroying its environment and dropping bombs on the innocent, Alexander McCall Smith has written a balm that will sooth your soul. Thank you Sandy.