The Letters of Ivor Punch

All islands have their secrets. This one has more than most.

When Fingal McMillan rows out into the Atlantic never to return, his grandson Alexander is left with questions. What really happened to Alexander's mother? Was his grandfather trying to reach The Looming, a rock of local myth? And why have mysterious words appeared on the cliff by the bay?

Alexander is not the only local boy whose origins are clouded by mystery - a mystery which stretches back to Victorian times, when a pioneering travel writer alighted on Scottish shores. But will the island give up its secrets? Or will Ivor Punch - the man who links the past to the present - take them to the grave?

Winner of Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award 2015

“Tragedy and superstition hang over the characters like a mist, and the sea laps against every page. These are beguiling tales built on secrets and sadness, each of them with a keen sense of place”

A truly original and enthralling novel. Ivor Punch is a magnificent creation and his story is mischievous, sad, funny and truthful

Tragedy and superstition hang over the characters like a mist, and the sea laps against every page... Beguiling - INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Witty, shocking, curious and wry, it is a multi-faceted novel that delights at every turn... A thing of genius and wonder. - WE LOVE THIS BOOK

MacIntyre is a storyteller with a unique imagination and has created a genuinely heartfelt novel with some standout elements of dark comedy - THE LIST

He writes with a clarity of style - THE SCOTSMAN

We meet a pioneering female writer, two fatherless boys, a man who fell from the sky and, of course, the prolific letter writer Ivor Punch - THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

The Punch family history is both fascinating and sad. The book is interesting, funny, has a famous cameo and keeps you reading, and it's only when you reach the end of the final chapter that the Punch family history falls into place... The characters are original, well-written, and it's one of those books you want to re-read after you've finished it - New Books

Colin MacIntyre is an award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has released seven albums to date, most notably under the name Mull Historical Society, so far achieving two Top 20 albums and four Top 40 singles. He has been voted Scotland's Top Creative Talent and has toured worldwide, including with The Strokes, Elbow and REM, and has played all the major festivals. He has performed live on BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, Radio 4, Later with Jools Holland and The Jonathan Ross Show, among many others. Born into a family of writers and storytellers, Colin grew up on the isle of Mull in the Hebrides but now lives in London.

All islands have their secrets. This one has more than most.When Fingal McMillan rows out into the Atlantic never to return, his grandson Alexander is left with questions. What really happened to Alexander's mother? Was his grandfather trying to reach The Looming, a rock of local myth? And why have mysterious words appeared on the cliff by the bay?Alexander is not the only local boy whose origins are clouded by mystery - a mystery which stretches back to Victorian times, when a pioneering travel writer alighted on Scottish shores. But will the island give up its secrets? Or will Ivor Punch - the man who links the past to the present - take them to the grave?

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