SHIABA

Orr offers a historical novel depicting the struggles of a family facing the devastating effects of a potato blight in mid-19th-century Scotland.

Calum MacGillivray and wife Catherine fear for their family’s future. A plant disease, which began in 1846, turned their potato crops to a gray slime, and now they only have only enough food to see them through the next few weeks. Famine and illness are sweeping through Shiaba, a remote township on the Isle of Mull consisting of 12 houses, including the MacGillivrays’. John Campbell, the Factor for the Duke of Argyll, has a deep-seated contempt for the poor but he sees an opportunity to profit off of their misfortunes, offering passage to Canada in exchange for Shiaba occupants’ livestock and land: “The famine provided an opportunity…. Shiaba, for example, would make an excellent sheep farm.” As they watch their neighbors begin to leave and the starvation worsen, Calum and Catherine must make a decision. However, Calum’s stubbornness and familial connection to the area conflict with Catherine’s desire for a better, safer future for their children. With the help of the leader of the local Baptist congregation and inspector for the Poor Board, Catherine ultimately absconds for Glasgow with the kids, believing she’ll have better work prospects. As Calum and Catherine begin to build lives without each other, they both face challenges that test their resilience and marital commitment. Over the course of this ambitious historical novel, which effectively weaves epistolary elements into its narrative, Orr highlights the harsh realities faced by the members of the working class. The story addresses specific sociopolitical issues surrounding the famine in Scotland and Ireland during this particular period in history. However, the author has also created a saga with greater ambitions, as it mirrors many themes in today’s society. As such, the work addresses such timely topics as activism, social justice, and education access, threading them all into the larger stories of Calum’s and Catherine’s lives.

An epic tale of a troubled Scottish family and the greater society in which they live.