Life in the Scottish Hebrides can be harsh – the edge of the world some call it. For the beautiful Kirsty Macleod, the love of Murdo and their dreams of America promise an escape from the scrape of the land, the repression of the Church and the inevitability of the path their lives would take.

But as the Great War looms Murdo is conscripted. The villagers hold a grand Road Dance to send their young men off to battle. As the dancers swirl and sup, the wheels of tragedy are set in motion.

Reviews:

Powerful, shocking, heartbreaking. Scottish Daily Mail

[MacKay] has captured time, place and atmosphere superbly... Meg Henderson

a gripping plot that subtly twists and turns, vivid characterisation, and a real sense of time and tradition, this is an absorbing, powerful first novel. Scots Magazine

As I read, I could feel the wind howling, the rain lashing down and the waves crashing against the rocks, every moment of grief, apprehension and panic […] Each page turn pushed me more into the story and mesmerised me On Magazine

a profound and powerful coming of age story The Courier