The Tin Kin
by Eleanor Thom
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"When her aunt Shirley dies, Dawn finds herself back in her claustrophobic home town in Northern Scotland for the first time in years. She spends her days caring for her small daughter, listening to tapes of old country songs and cleaning Shirley's flat, until one day she comes across the key to a cupboard that she was forbidden to open as a child." "Inside she finds an album of photographs, curling with age. A young couple pose on a beach, arms wrapped around each other; little girls in show more hand-me-down kilts reveal toothless smiles; an old woman rests her hands on her hips, her head thrown back in blurry laughter. But why has her aunt treasured these pictures secretly for so long? Dawn's need for answers leads her to a group of Travellers on the outskirts of Elgin. There she learns of a young man left to die on the floor of a cell, and realises that the story of her family is about to be rewritten... Weaving between narratives and decades, 'The Tin-Kin' is a beautiful moving novel about love, hardship and the lies and legends that pass between generations."--BOOK JACKET show lessTags
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Nine pages in, this novel went all Trainspotting on me. The terrain seemed easy and then suddenly I found myself needing a sturdy pair of walking boots. Dialect, thick thick dialect, describing events I couldn’t follow. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to like or understand it, but all was well in the end.
Despite my misgivings, I would have to say the voice throughout was spot on. And I’ll spare the rant over absent speech marks, though it’s not a style I like. The whole thing had a windswept, slightly numb feel to it. The voices of the historical characters were excellent – gradations in dialect, the way personalities were revealed, one felt immersed in the culture of the traveller community at that time. I am sure the show more author had done her homework, but even if she hadn’t I would have believed this account, so rich in detail was the prose.
I was surprised how early the central secret came out. There seemed little left to reveal – mostly things I had worked out. There were cleverly dropped clues along the way, meaning the reader could join the dots; what remained at the end was personality time and atmospherics. I really felt as though I was inhabiting a 3D world.
A glossary might have helped with the early stages, though finding one’s way through the dialect chapters unaided does give the reader a sense of achievement. show less
Despite my misgivings, I would have to say the voice throughout was spot on. And I’ll spare the rant over absent speech marks, though it’s not a style I like. The whole thing had a windswept, slightly numb feel to it. The voices of the historical characters were excellent – gradations in dialect, the way personalities were revealed, one felt immersed in the culture of the traveller community at that time. I am sure the show more author had done her homework, but even if she hadn’t I would have believed this account, so rich in detail was the prose.
I was surprised how early the central secret came out. There seemed little left to reveal – mostly things I had worked out. There were cleverly dropped clues along the way, meaning the reader could join the dots; what remained at the end was personality time and atmospherics. I really felt as though I was inhabiting a 3D world.
A glossary might have helped with the early stages, though finding one’s way through the dialect chapters unaided does give the reader a sense of achievement. show less
Three stories told over three time spans all link together to uncover the tragic death of a young traveller lad. He takes to his grave a secret that is known only to a few of his family members. As the story unravels modern day blends with the past and family connections are re-forged.
Thom has written a moving tale, filled with love, pride, dignity and respect, about a community whose lifestyle is often misunderstood. She brings to life the old traditions and ways of travellers, shows the depth of love they have for each and manages to dispel some of the stereotypical myths that surround the traveller way of life.
Told in the vernacular, I loved hearing Scottish and traveller Kant mixed in with modern day English. There is no glossary show more as the author keeps everything in context, making it fairly simple to glean the meaning of words that may have been previously unknown to the reader. show less
Thom has written a moving tale, filled with love, pride, dignity and respect, about a community whose lifestyle is often misunderstood. She brings to life the old traditions and ways of travellers, shows the depth of love they have for each and manages to dispel some of the stereotypical myths that surround the traveller way of life.
Told in the vernacular, I loved hearing Scottish and traveller Kant mixed in with modern day English. There is no glossary show more as the author keeps everything in context, making it fairly simple to glean the meaning of words that may have been previously unknown to the reader. show less
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- Reviews
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