No Great Mischief

Alistair McLeod's first novel has catapulted a little-known 'writer's writer', acclaimed for two volumes of short stories, to the top of Canada's bestseller lists, and deservedly so. No Great Mischief reveals McLeod as a major talent, a superb story teller, effortlessly catching the reader's attention, and keeping it with an unusual mix of lyricism and realism. It is narrated by Alexander, a member of the MacDonald clan in the Scots Gaelic of Cape Breton that they still speak. It opens as Alexander, known in his childhood as gille beag ruadh - 'the little red-haired boy' - but now a successful, middle-aged orthodontist, visits a hopeless alcoholic in a seedy rooming house in Toronto - his eldest brother, Calum. Gradually the story of gille beag ruadh, his twin sister, and his three elder brothers, is revealed. The twins were orphaned at the age of three when their parents drowned in icy waters. They are raised by their kindly grandparents, while their older, teenage brothers run wild in the family home. Eventually the brothers establish themselves as miners, and an accident in the family causes Alexander to leave medical school and join them in the mine. This strong family loyalty is explored through dramatic fragments of the history of the MacDonald clan, who are descended from one Calum Ruadh. Calum arrived in Cape Breton in 1779 from the Highlands of Scotland with his large family and the loyal family dog. The clan's story is full of pathos and poetry, and also has richly humorous moments. At intervals, Alexander joins his sister, a prosperous oilman's wife in Calgary, and together they reflect on how the family's history intersects with mainstream history: Culloden, where many MacDonalds died, and the 1759 battle at Quebec, won by General Wolfe, with the help of the Highlanders, whom he recommended as soldiers because it was 'no great mischief if they fall'. This is the story of a family, a hero - big brother Calum - and of a nation - Canada - the result of the integration of numerous minorities such as the clann Chalum Ruaidh, some of whom feature in the novel. It is a major imaginative achievement. (Kirkus UK)