John MacKay Fiction Collection

The call came from a place far away where the dark was deep and the only sound was the fading breath of a woman on the edge of eternity.

The summons to the bedside of his dying aunt drags Cal MacCarl away from the blur of city life to the islands where time turns slowly and tradition endures. He is striving for the urban dream of the luxury apartment and the prestige car and has shed all of his past to get there.

Aunt Mary is his only remaining blood link. She comes from the past. She still knows him as Calum. When she passes he will be the last of the family line. But for Cal, family, and history are just bonds to tie him down.

Reluctantly embarking on a journey of duty, Cal finds himself drawn into the role of genealogy detective and discovers secrets that are buried deep. He begins to understand that Mary was not the woman he thought he knew and the secret she kept hidden for so long means he might not be who he thought he was.

Reviews: 

A Strong modern story of personal conflict. NORTHWORDS NOW

Where MacKay differs from most other Hebridean-based novels is in his obvious research into the geography, and meticulous background into island traditions and cultures.  The Stornoway Gazette

The Hebridean scenes are powerful.  The Sunday Herald

There is a tightly plotted story here, together with some lovely details of remote island life.  The Independent

Built for the new age, the house stood boldly upright on the edge of the ocean withstanding the harsh blasts of a cruel century, nurturing and protecting the family within, watchful of hearts swollen or broken, dreams delivered and dashed. It had absorbed the tears and echoed the laughter.

A sweeping saga of one family through a momentous century. Different people, divergent lives and distinctive stories. Bound together by the place they called home.

But one of them is missing, lost to the world. An unknown grandchild, born to a son who went to war and never came back. As the years pass, through wars and emigration, social transformation and generational change, the search continues.

And the questions remain the same: Who is he? Where is he? Will he ever come home?

Reviews: 

Home is written from the heart with a deep understanding of love and loss, suffering and celebration. It is a vivid portrait of a family struggling to survive. LORRAINE KELLY

Home is an epic tale – a magnificent Hebridean opus. CALUM MACDONALD, RUNRIG

Where indeed do you seek sanctuary when your past has changed irrevocably, your memories are false and your future is uncertain? A gripping plot full of credible characters... set in a convincing background.  SCOTS MAGAZINE

A man tries to forge a new future for himself by reconnecting with his past. Iain Martin hopes that by returning to his Hebridean heartland and embarking on a quest to reconstruct an ancient family home, he might find a new purpose. But as he begins work on the old blackhouse, he uncovers a secret from the past which forces him to question everything.

Reviews: 

A fine, rewarding read. THE SUNDAY HERALD

A combination of Changing Rooms and Agatha Christie, Mackay’s Heartland demonstrates the Scotland Today presenter has a readable easy-going prose style. SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS