Following the series of blog reviews of ‘Contemporary Scottish Authors’ in the Spring I thought I’d continue by introducing you to other exciting literary discoveries made since I moved north of the border.
Hamish Brown is a prolific local author who lives in Burnisland, better known for his exploratory books about expeditions on mountains both here in Scotland and further afield in the world.
‘East of West, West of East’ is quite a different venture for Hamish. This is an account of the life of his family at the time of the fall of Singapore and their amazing escape from Japan, finding themselves refugees, seeking shelter and safety. The parallels with people today in their plight was not lost on me as I was reading.
Hamish has chosen to use actual letters to take you back to the thoughts, fears and unimaginable experiences of his close family, especially his father. With Hamish’s eloquent style, the reader is able to fill in the gaps and imagine living alongside both those fleeing war and those awaiting news at home in Scotland.
A compelling read of a period of history of which I am less familiar, made all the more poignant by having met the author on numerous occasions.
I’ve received three reviews in the past week for ‘The Healing Paths of Fife.‘
Diana Jackson 