Malachy Tallack is a singer-songwriter as well as an established writer of books about his beloved Shetland. His second novel is about a man who has spent almost his entire life in one place who finds an unexpected friendship.
Jack's father had worked on a whaling ship in the 1950s. Opportunities were rare in Shetland, and whaling money was good. Sonny salted his away, marrying Kathleen in 1958. Jack was born two years later, growing into a quiet boy who knew to avoid his father’s temper. Sonny brought a passion for music back from South Georgia, passing it on to his son who became an ardent country music fan. Now in his sixties, he’s a man of simple routine with many acquaintances who have never quite become friends. Songs are still written but the fuzzy ambition to become a singer which sent him to Glasgow for a few weeks four decades ago has long gone. One day a cardboard box containing a kitten is left on his doorstep to Jack's consternation. Loretta is a tiny thing but she’s the spark for a surprising change in Jack’s life.
Tallack weaves Sonny and Kathleen’s story through Jack’s present in episodes that are often vividly lyrical in contrast to their son’s mundane life. There are passages of beautiful descriptive writing in both narratives, Jack’s threaded through with a gentle, affectionate humour and steeped in music. Tallack is a close observer, not least of cat behaviour: Loretta is as lovingly drawn as Jack himself, and eight-year-old Vaila’s adoration of her is spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed this touching novel which steers well clear of sentimentality.