Home So It Seems

by: Stephen McAllister

Published by: www.lulu.com

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

Author Stephen McAllister takes readers back to Scotland in his latest novella, Home So It Seems. While readers tend to think of an coming-of-age tale as a story of growing up, McAllister has given us a different version, growing comfortable with oneself as one ages.

All of his life, Nick MacQuarrie has doubted, second-guessed, and obsessed every decision he has ever made. He wonders if his life would be different if he had made better, or different, decisions, or if he had been more confident in those decisions. But he wasn’t and now he has made the most difficult decision he has ever made…to leave his sons, grandchildren, and all he knows to make a new life in a new country…to uproot his placid life by moving from the United States to the land of his ancestors, Scotland.

Unfettered by personal belongings (save his fly fishing gear, some books and a laptop) and souvenirs of his old life, Nick arrives in rural Scotland and rents a rather-rundown cottage from the local shyster Duncan. While Nick doubts this was a good decision–since no other MacQarries seem to exist in this area–and wants to turn and run screaming back to the United States, he convinces himself that he would look more foolish to his family should he return. Slowly he cleans and paints the cottage, making friends with the locals.

Too soon, Nick realizes he must get a job to supplement his savings. He finds work as a travel agent and is forced to leave his surroundings, again, to be near his work. Lucky for Nick, a beautiful cottage near the River Awe comes on the market. Nick is excited about his new-again beginnings as the trout are frisky and the salmon make their yearly run.

Home So It Seems’ prologue is full of serene action. There is so much movement in every line as readers observe the grumpy Nick fly fishing that I am reminded of a Hemingway short story. The story’s pacing is excellent, the character descriptions dead-on.
Thanks to McAllister’s vivid portrayal of Scottish life and landscape, I feel as if I’ve been to Scotland.
Armchair Interviews says: A well-written “travelogue.”