Hame

by Annalena McAfee

  7. McWatt’s different love interests dovetail with the end of Mhairi and Marco’s marriage. Did it surprise you how close she became to McWatt despite her desire to distance herself from her husband, even to the extent of moving across the Atlantic Ocean? How do these two men in their own ways similarly compel her to achieve and pursue her own career?

  8. What did you think was the true cause of Mhairi and Marco’s separation? How did their different passions first work in favor of their relationship, and then against it?

  9. Discuss Agnes’s role in Mhairi’s plight. How do her responses to her parents’ breakup—her isolation in school, and her relentless sense of inquiry and curiosity—both distract and ground Mhairi while she and Agnes are on the island? What do the two learn from each other during the course of the novel, and how does Agnes function as her own character? Are mother and daughter more similar or different in the end in terms of their respective passions, and in how they greet Marco in the final scene?

  10. What does Mhairi sacrifice in her relationship with Agnes to pursue her various affairs—first romantically with Pascal, then intellectually with McWatt? Are there ramifications for her self-interest, and what parallels are there between those choices and some of McWatt’s?

  11. What do Mhairi’s and McWatt’s respective work/personal lives suggest about the thrill of novelty versus the steadiness of what’s familiar and good? How do they each resist the familiar in their lives in their choices and in their identities? What does looking at them together in the space of the novel, a shared (auto)biography, help illustrate about the risks one takes for art and the pursuit of fame?

  12. Discuss the significance of the various “inventories” throughout the book—of flora and fauna, Scots words for weather and tools, the glossary, bibliography, appendices of recipes and music, etc. Did you feel these disparate lists were effective in helping you get a sense of McWatt’s Scotland: did they make up a true “Fascaray Compendium,” and how does Mhairi’s experience on the island fit into the novel’s “compendium”?

  13. Toward the end of the novel, politics becomes increasingly important in McWatt’s work. Did you notice any parallels in his plight with other artists’ who affected larger social change, historically or in a more contemporary context? In your mind, who might have been an inspiration for McWatt’s character and legacy in the novel?

  14. McWatt writes “Transparency. Lucidity. This is a service we Scots can perform” (this page). How does he perform such a service in his work, or claim to? What did the reveal of his real past by his sister do to complicate this claim?

  15. What made McWatt’s song so compelling across generations and nationalities? How does his devotion to “hame”—home—stand up even in light of the truth of his birth country? What does his legacy, and Mhairi’s role in perpetuating it with A Granite Ballad, suggest about the legitimacy of a self-constructed identity and home? Can you relate to this impulse in your own family and/or life?

  Suggested Reading:

  Elif Batuman, The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them

  A. S. Byatt, Possession

  Jonathan Galassi, Muse

  Seamus Heaney, Preoccupations

  Barry Lopez, Horizon

  Rebecca Mead, My Life in Middlemarch

  Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire

  Ali Smith, How to Be Both

  Nell Stevens, Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World

  Glossary

  A

  aa all

  abeich aloof, apart

  ablo under, below

  abreed wide apart, open

  abuin above, overhead

  acause because

  aefauld honest, faithful

  agane again

  agin against

  agley awry, astray

  Ah I, first-person singular

  ahint behind, late

  aiblins perhaps

  aik oak

  ain own

  airn iron

  airt direction, to airt out to discover

  ane one, an, a

  aneath beneath

  anely only

  antrin occasional, rare, odd

  asclentit aslant, aside, astray, “to the one side like Gourock”

  asure blue

  athin within

  atweesh between

  aw all

  awfie awful

  awra all the

  aye yes, always

  ayebidin everlasting

  ayont beyond

  B

  bahookie backside

  bairns babies, children

  bampot idiot, person of low intelligence or away with the fairies (see sidhe)

  bangster ruffian

  barelins barely, hardly

  bauchle untidy, clumsy or old person

  bauld-daur audacious

  bawbee coin, penny

  bawheid idiot

  bayin to lift up the voice loudly

  beekin shining

  ben in, inside, indoors, as in “ben the hoose”

  beuchs boughs

  bevvy alcoholic beverage

  bickety trifling

  bide stay, couples who reside together conjugally without marriage are known as “bidie-ins”

  big build

  bing a heap

  binna except, unless

  birl to rotate rapidly, revolve, whirl

  birlinn long-oared boat, galley

  birses bruises

  birsie hot-tempered

  blae blue

  blaflum hoax, illusion, nonsense

  blash a splash of liquid

  blashy gusty

  blether prattle, idle talk

  bletherskite fool, babbler

  bliss bless

  blooter a jelly-like mass, blast of wind

  blootert or bluitert drunk

  boak retch, vomit

  boch rapture, ecstasy

  bodach old man

  bogey flawed, invalid, as in “the gemme’s a bogey”

  bogle spirit, ghost

  bonailie a farewell drink

  bonnie beautiful

  booral small bedroom

  bosie bosom

  bothy hut, primitive shelter

  bouk body, carcass

  bowd billowing waves

  bowsie fat, puffed up

  brae hill

  braibit depressed

  braid broad

  brall to soar, to fly

  brammle berry

  braw fine, splendid

  breenge plunge, rush recklessly

  brinn piercing, dry wind

  broch a prehistoric tower

  broukit broken

  browstary embroidery

  bruim-buss broom bush, genista, whin

  bucht bend

  buchtit abundant, weighty bowers

  bunnet firs Scots pines

  burn river, stream

  bygae go by

  byous wonderful, extraordinary

  C

  cadgy happy, cheerful

  cailleach old woman

  callant stripling, youthful

  caller-killt freshly killed

  camsheuch crooked, deformed, perverse

  camsteirie wild, excitable, riotous

  cannie wise, shrewd, cautious

  cantie lively, cheerful

  cark anxiety, care

  carnaptious quarrelsome, crabbed

  cauld cold

  caunle candle

  caur left

  caw call

  chap (1) knock (2) lay a claim

  chaumer room

  chib blade, knife

  chirker cricket

  chitterin shivering

  chuckie a small stone, pebble (for throwing, skimming)

  clacha
n hamlet, small village

  claggie sticky

  clashmaclavers gossip, idle talk

  clatty dirty

  claucht caught, seized

  cleed clothe

  cleeked hooked

  cleuch gorge, pit, ravine

  clonger wild rose

  clourt beaten, dented

  cludgie restroom, toilet

  clype to inform on someone, tell tales

  cogie bowl

  colf fill

  collit shaped

  con squirrel

  coof rogue, blade

  coolks reeds

  corrieneuchin intimate conversation

  coupon face

  couthie pleasant, sympathetic, good company

  cowp upset, fall, lay low

  crack conversation, gossip

  crammasie crimson

  cranreuch frost

  creesh fat

  cried called, as in name

  crochan mud

  crood cooed, sang

  crottle crumble

  crooch crouch

  cruin croon, mournful song

  cuckoo-brogue violet

  cuddie donkey, horse

  cuild cooled

  cuitle please, gratify

  cuman milking pail

  curnawin hunger

  cushie doo darling dove, term of endearment

  cutty short

  cutty-stool low three-legged stool

  D

  dachlin dawdling, going slowly, hesitating

  daedle linger

  dag day

  darg work

  dashelt worn out

  datchie secret

  daud lump, piece

  daunder saunter, stroll

  dautie darling, pet

  dawk dawn

  deid dead

  deil devil

  dern hidden, secret, to hide

  diacle compass

  dicht washed, cleaned, wiped

  diddies breasts

  dings beats

  dinkly dainty

  dirl whirl, gust

  dirr numb

  dishantit abandoned, deserted

  disjaskit downcast, dejected, depressed

  dit close

  doistert frenzied

  doitert confused

  donsie luckless, unfortunate

  doo dove

  doon down

  douce sweet, pleasant, sober (usage in religious households only)

  dover sleep, doze

  dowe fade, wither

  dowf weary, stupefied, dull, melancholy

  dowie melancholy, sad

  dowp to sit, buttocks

  dowre to sleep

  draik drench

  dree suffer, endure, see thole

  dreich wet, dull

  drouthie thirsty

  dùchthas ancient Gaelic spirit of connection with and kindness to the land

  duds clothes

  dufftie soft, spongy

  dule sorrow

  dunt batter, beat

  dwaum dream, reverie, trance

  dwm dumb

  dwyne wither, fade, waste away

  E

  eariwig eavesdrop, overhear

  eelist envy

  eik grow

  een eye, eyes

  e’en (1) evening (2) even

  ensenzie motto, slogan

  erch coy, timid

  ettle desire

  eydent intent, busy

  F

  factor bailiff, estate manager

  fae (1) from (2) foe

  fank (1) confusion (2) sheep pen

  fankelt mixed up, confused, tangled

  fash trouble, annoy, irritate

  fauld sheepfold

  fause false

  faw fall

  feart afraid

  fecht fight

  fedders feathers

  fegs faith

  feuch rage

  fire-flaucht lightning

  fit foot

  fiver fever

  flane arrow

  flaucht weave

  fleech flatter, wheedle, beseech

  flicht flight

  flirry blossom

  flit move, as in moving house

  flochter flutter

  flum flattery

  fog moss

  forby besides, as well, in addition to

  forfauchelt exhausted, worn out

  forhou forsake

  fou drunk, full

  fouth abundant

  fowed forked

  fower four

  fowk people

  frae from

  freuch hard, dry

  fung kick, toss, fling

  furrin foreign

  fykie intricate

  fyle foul

  G

  gab mouth, beginning

  gairdie hand, fist

  gallus reckless, bold

  gallehooing noisy, foolish blustering

  gamawow a fool

  gamf mimic

  gang go

  gangrel vagrant

  gar make, coerce, cause

  geck scorn

  gealit frozen

  geggie mouth

  gemmster gambler

  gey very

  gillum jewel, jewelled

  gin if

  girn grimace

  girtholl sanctuary

  gizz face

  gizzern throat

  glagger, glaggin to yearn, long for

  glaikit foolish

  glaise to warm, as at a fire

  glaister glitter

  glaur mud, ooze, slime

  gleed glowing coal, burning peat or ember, fire

  gleek peep, glance

  glen valley

  glisk glimmer, glance

  gloamin twilight, fusk

  glormach gaudy

  gluives gloves

  goad god

  gowan daisy

  gowd gold

  gowen gown

  gowk fool, cuckoo

  gowp stare gormlessly

  graff grave

  graig gurgling noise

  gree prize

  greet cry, weep

  grotho sorrow, vexation

  gru atom, particle

  grue horror

  gruggie cloudy

  guddle mess, confusion

  guga young gannet, hunted by Fascaradians for centuries

  gullion a marsh, a swamp

  gunkit bitterly disappointed

  gurley wild, stormy

  gyrie circuit

  H

  haar mist

  haffet cheek, temple, face

  hain protect

  hairiken hurricane

  hairst autumn, harvest

  haiveless meaningless, senseless

  hame home

  hamelt belonging to home, internal, native, domestic

  hameseek homesick, selfish

  hamesucken the offence under Scots law of premeditated assault on a person in his own dwelling place

  handsel a present to bring good luck to a new enterprise, be it a new home, a baby or the New Year at Hogmanay

  hap cover

  hauch low ground, meadow

  haulflin adolescent

  haw-buss hawthorn

  hecht vow

  heeld to lean, slant

  heeze to rise

  heich high

  heid head

  heiv’n heaven

  hen affectionate term for a woman

  hend end, last

  hert heart

  heuch to shout joyously, as at a ceilidh

  hewit colour, hue

  hicht height, e
xalted position

  hidlins secret, hidden

  high heid yins self-anointed rulers

  hingins curtains

  hinmaist last

  hinnie honey

  hishie murmur, whisper

  hissel hazel

  hochmagandy sexual congress

  hod hold

  hollae hollow

  hoob land exposed at ebb-tide

  hoor whore

  hooshit silent, hushed

  howdie midwife

  howdiein birth

  howe deep, hollow, hoe

  howff a public house or inn, meeting place

  howked dug

  huff blow

  huily slowly

  hummel humble

  hyne far away

  hynie distance

  I

  ilka each, every

  ill-kyndit ill-willed, th’ill kyndit yin the devil

  ill-mynded forgetful

  ilsket malicious

  imalded overwhelmed, buried

  impignorate to pawn

  J

  jamphi mocking, jeering

  jessamine wood anemone

  jink to move nimbly, dodge, dart

  jouk play truant

  jube deep place, bog or morass

  K

  kail kale, leafy-green vegetable originally part of Scots diet, now universal

  kailyard sentimental school of Scots writing dealing with rural domestic life

  keech excrement

  keek glance, peep

  keelie rowdy fellow (see ned)

  ken to know, knowledge

  kenspeckelt familiar

  killie-shangie uproarious argument

  kinchie merry

  kinrick kingdom

  kirn mix

  kittle to stimulate, please, perplex

  knock time, the hour

  knowe small hill

  knype to knock, strike

  kowk to retch, vomit

  kye cows

  kythe appearance

  L

  laich low

  laid load

  laith hatred

  laldie a thrashing, perform vigorously

  lang long

  lave remainder, rest

  laverock skylark

  laylocks lilacs

  lea field

  leal loyal

  lee lie

  leep period of warm weather

  leid language

  leif life

  lettern desk

  lig recline, lie, rest

  limmer harlot, rascal

  lin rest

  linn waterfall

  lintie linnet

  list wish, desire

  loon young man

  loorach tattered, trailing

  lootch stooped

  loue love

  lounder severe thrashing

  lown quiet, silent, peaceful

  lowp leap