Genre Fiction
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O Caledonia: A Novel
In the tradition of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a darkly humorous modern classic of Scottish literature about a doomed adolescent growing up in the mid-19th century-featuring a new introduction by Maggie O'Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet.
Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother's black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw…
Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker's ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family's motto-Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)-is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.
Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother's black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw…
Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker's ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family's motto-Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)-is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.
Editorial Reviews
"A surreal, hilarious, and dark story of a troubled adolescence deep in the wilds of Scotland. I once decided to become friends with someone on the sole basis that she named O Caledonia as her favourite book." -Maggie O'Farrell, author of Hamnet
"Though the novel opens with Janet newly dead, murdered on a staircase, it is full of life, energized by Ms. Barker's thistle-sharp eye for natural detail." -The New York Times
"This is an extraordinary novel: original, beautiful yet tough, with a sympathetic outsider of a heroine whose tragic fate is depicted on the very first page. . . . Barker's love of the classics, her focus on mothers and daughters, and her remarkable evocation of landscape, should mark her out as one of Scotland's principal writers." -Financial Times
"Elspeth Barker's is a wholly original literary voice. . . . Steeped in classical allusions, rich in Scottish and natural history, fantastical in its highly wrought characters, this coming-of-age-novella is as passionately intense as it is wittily acerbic. . . . Propelled by the sheer force of words, the horrors and humours plunge on, observed by an eye both youthful and perspicacious. . . . The reader feels unalloyed joy, and occasional winces, on every page." -The Independent
"O Caledonia is like a bunch of flowers. Vivid images are handed to the reader one after the other and the colours are often freakish." -The Guardian
"O Caledonia is a Gothic coming-of-age story, the Brontes and Poe via Dodie Smith and Edward Gorey. Funny, surprising, exquisitely written-and brilliant on the smelly, absurd, harsh business of growing-up." -David Nicholls, author of One Day
"A sparky, funny work of genius about class, romanticism, social tradition and literary tradition, and one of the best least-known novels of the 20th century." -Ali Smith
"A wonderful oddity-brief, vivid, eccentric, written with ferocious zest and black humour." -Penelope Lively
"Witty, civilized. . . . With ravishing descrip...
"Though the novel opens with Janet newly dead, murdered on a staircase, it is full of life, energized by Ms. Barker's thistle-sharp eye for natural detail." -The New York Times
"This is an extraordinary novel: original, beautiful yet tough, with a sympathetic outsider of a heroine whose tragic fate is depicted on the very first page. . . . Barker's love of the classics, her focus on mothers and daughters, and her remarkable evocation of landscape, should mark her out as one of Scotland's principal writers." -Financial Times
"Elspeth Barker's is a wholly original literary voice. . . . Steeped in classical allusions, rich in Scottish and natural history, fantastical in its highly wrought characters, this coming-of-age-novella is as passionately intense as it is wittily acerbic. . . . Propelled by the sheer force of words, the horrors and humours plunge on, observed by an eye both youthful and perspicacious. . . . The reader feels unalloyed joy, and occasional winces, on every page." -The Independent
"O Caledonia is like a bunch of flowers. Vivid images are handed to the reader one after the other and the colours are often freakish." -The Guardian
"O Caledonia is a Gothic coming-of-age story, the Brontes and Poe via Dodie Smith and Edward Gorey. Funny, surprising, exquisitely written-and brilliant on the smelly, absurd, harsh business of growing-up." -David Nicholls, author of One Day
"A sparky, funny work of genius about class, romanticism, social tradition and literary tradition, and one of the best least-known novels of the 20th century." -Ali Smith
"A wonderful oddity-brief, vivid, eccentric, written with ferocious zest and black humour." -Penelope Lively
"Witty, civilized. . . . With ravishing descrip...
Readers Top Reviews
J. AngV.A.RumseyRoss
Hailed as a minor modern classic by acclaimed authors like Maggie O’Farrell (who wrote the introduction to this new edition) and Ali Smith, and having won several awards, this slim novella piqued my curiosity. The story begins at the end, with the murder of a teenaged Janet, and whose passing goes unmourned by her parents and siblings, but instead comes as a slight inconvenience to her disinterested family. That Janet was something of a misfit would be an understatement and the rest of the novella examines her life up to her untimely death. The writing is sharp and there are many passages of beautiful prose in Barker’s description of how Janet becomes estranged from her family as the arrival of each younger sibling displaces her from her parents’ affections by degrees. Barker tries to make Janet an empathetic character, showing how she struggles to find a middle ground between embracing her position as an outcast in her family and craving for affection and attention from them. There are both poignant and comedic episodes in her brief life to capture the readers’ attention. However, as a story, I felt that the brevity of the work may have worked against it. It simply did not have room to go deeply into the characters’ psyche for the reader to develop any strong sense of empathy for Janet, and like the mysterious otherworldly aunt Lila that Janet almost finds a kindred spirit in, she flits in and out of the story too quickly for the reader feel for their connection. Rather, Janet and her family resemble caricatures, and the larger-than-life Gothic surroundings of their Scottish castle home only accentuates this impression.
I. SmithIzzielickeda
At the beginning of O Caledonia, sixteen year old Janet, unloved by her family and a social outcast, has been murdered. But don’t expect this, as I did, to be a conventional murder mystery. Rather, it is a look at Janet’s life and aspirations, her awkwardness, life in Scotland after WW2, poor parenting, and bullying, all told in gorgeous prose and with no plot to speak of. More for the literary reader. While the book had its moments, it really wasn’t for me though I did enjoy the writing.
Sarah
Gothic and a little macabre in tone, O Caledonia is a novel that is at times comical in spite of its strangeness. It’s a dark coming of age story originally published in 1991 that reads like classic literature. Barker’s prose is beautiful and descriptive. She writes in such vivid detail of the Scottish castle, Highland landscape, and Janet’s outlier personality. At the beginning of the novel (and in the synopsis) we learn of sixteeen your old Janet’s fate; she is murdered and found at the bottom of a staircase. However, the point of this novel is not to focus on her death. It reads rather like a summary of Janet’s tragically shortened life and the moments that defined her. Janet is an outcast to her family, friends, and society. She is highly intelligent and imaginative. I loved how she found companionship in books and her love for animals, especially her jackdaw. She is unapologetically herself, often prone to outbursts that reflect her rebuke of societal expectations. There is no “plot” in the traditional sense, which may not work for every reader, but that’s what makes this small and strange novel so unique.
ArcyDr. Cheryl Haugh
I couldn't identify with any of the characters. The book seemed to be an instrument to show off the writer's erudition and knowledge of the classics and literature. Sometimes it read as though a thesaurus had been consulted. On the good side, the premise was interesting, and it's a quick read.
Peter Muller
I've never read a book quite like this. You find out on the first page how the story ends, which tells you up front that the joy in reading it is going to be in the journey, not in the destination. Elspeth Barker is a scintillating stylist, consistently inventive, challenging sometimes in the emotional tincture of her characters and their actions, but always rewarding. Worth every minute.
