First published 2026
Cal returns to the windswept croft of his childhood, where two forces shaped his youth: his father John, who herds sheep and weaves cloth while holding fast to Presbyterian faith, and his grandmother Ella from Glasgow, who maintains an uneasy peace with her son-in-law. Cal wanders the barren hills searching for other men like himself in this remote place. His father disapproves of Cal's long hair and fears his son rejects salvation. Ella observes from her place between father and son as seasons pass slowly across the desolate moorlands. The small community survives in careful balance, but that equilibrium becomes more fragile each day. Cal must find his way between John's inflexible beliefs and his own deeper longings. The threads binding this isolated world together begin to fray, threatening to destroy what generations built on these harsh Scottish highlands.
Genres: literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, realistic-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, introspective, lyrical, melancholic, tension-filled
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-estrangement, found-family, internal-conflict
Setting: Glasgow, Scotland, Scottish Highlands
Period: 20th-century
400 pages · Paperback · PAN MACMILLAN
Content warnings: emotional-abuse, homophobia