A Author

The Slow Air of Ewan Macpherson by Thomas Fox Averill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Glasgow, Kansas, is not quite the motherland for Scotsman Rob MacPherson. But his efforts to make it so leave an indelible impression on his son, Ewan -- especially the elder MacPherson's failed attempt to make a single malt Scotch ... which leads to a whisky-still explosion ... which leads to Ewan's suffering a terrible injury ... which leads to his falling in love -- at fourteen years of age -- with Shirley Porter.

"There's no turning back for Ewan. From that moment on, his heart has set its course. Through adolescence and into adulthood, through becoming a high school teacher, bagpipe instructor, loyal son, and keeper of all Scottish traditions, Ewan has found his one true passion -- much like his father's obsession with single malt Scotch. A passion that -- through trial and error -- will teach him that love is an acquired taste ..."
~~back cover

I really liked this book. But to be very honest, I probably liked it because the unexpected meetings with Scottish songs, or traditions, or trivia always brought a smile to my face. I love the Scottish culture as its played out in America. I have a suspicion that if this book had been interlarded into some other cultural tradition, I wouldn't have liked it half so much. I'm not a big fan of modern literature, my translation of which is people acting daft without any seemingly rational reason to do so. There was a good bit of that in this book.