Review by Frank Plowright

Life on a remote Scottish island might sound idyllic, but it’s a rare sixteen year old who’d agree. Holly Black has grown on up Gleag, and is desperate to leave to see more of the world, but without having any firm ideas beyond. She smokes as an act of rebellion, resents her father’s occupation keeping him away from home, and is counting the days until her departure.

Steven Ingram takes a leisurely pace with Holly, and maintains a naturalistic realism. Holly’s story is little more than her killing time wandering around the island dreaming of something better, accompanied by conversations with people she’s known since childhood, but Ingram ensures it’s character study of value by evoking rural island life as it is for various people. On Gleag a sick sheep is a serious problem, not a pothole or blocked drain. Some residents see themselves as part of a continuity, maintaining the traditions of previous generations for the generations to come, and make the same assumptions about their neighbours and friends. Others have developed an eccentricity that comes with an isolated life and no pressure to conform. This understanding observation is complemented by a host of small touches thoughtfully included. Holly’s teacher, for instance, recognises her restlessness and supplies her with a copy of Catcher in the Rye, and the offer of sausages for tea is an indication that Holly’s father has again prioritised work over family.

As Holly is central to every scene, it’s essential that she’s sympathetic, and Ingram ensures hers is a well rounded character with natural emotional reactions, bumping along with everyone as you do in a restricted location. She’s sometimes funny, and sometimes snarky, but always understood. A simple and expressive cartoon style accommodates the pace and emotional needs, and constantly reinforces isolation.

What seems to be nothing more than a meander through Holly’s life does move forward, and works its way to a surprising revelation. If you appreciate a lack of sensationalism in your graphic novels, Ingram really delivers. This is just crying out for a TV adaptation.

While copies have found their way to online booksellers, why not buy directly from Ingram and see what else is on offer?