Book Review: Shetland Mist
Shetland Mist is a haunting and evocative tale of faith, life, love and loss, set against the backdrop of 19th century Shetland, where families toiled, day in and day out to survive, eking out a meagre existence from the harsh and unforgiving land and sea.
“They lost themselves in the vastness of the land and sky. The salt air and fragrant hill ground aroused Ann’s senses, as Robert held her close. His caresses transported her to a strange place. She discovered in his embrace a sentiment completely new to her and yet somehow old and true, like the ancient broch standing in the center of the loch that linked them to earlier times.”
Shetland Mist is a historical novel based on the lives of the author, Heather Leslie Hammer’s, great-great-grandparents, Robert and Ann Leslie and their nine children. The names, birth dates and causes of death remain the same, but the narrative is a beautiful, heart-wrenching work of fiction based on diligent research into life in Shetland from 1829 to 1873.
Not since reading Neil Gunn’s Silver Darlings have I felt so moved by a narrative whose pages describe bitter hardship and the will to live on and welcome a bright new dawn. The book twists and turns through a life governed by a veil of deep-rooted and pure faith.
As might be expected, God is a key character in this novel based on the Leslie family and their unshakeable faith in the Methodist movement and teachings. Told through Ann’s eyes, her prayers offer an insight into her innermost hopes, dreams and fears as she carries her nine children into the world and nurtures them through all of life’s challenges.
Heather Leslie Hammer has beautifully captured 19th-century life in Shetland with historical accuracy and brought it to life with vivid, heart-moving descriptions, calling on the voices of both the people, the landscape, the sea and the sky to paint a gritty yet tender portrayal of the harsh realities of a crofting-fishing family. Ann’s is a story played out by the hearth of many a Shetland home at that time.
The book is also a book of faith. Guided always by her unwavering belief, Ann and her family struggle against the oppression of the laird [landlord], illness, famine and the ever-tempestuous seas that the men had to fish, yet her inner faith and firm belief carried her through the good times and the bad.
Shetland Mist gives the reader an insight into the daily religious practice of a Methodist family in the 19th century. I was apprehensive about the spiritual element, concerned that I would be subliminally fed a form of theological fiction that sought to shape my attitude towards theological beliefs. Yet, despite the religious aspect of the book, it didn’t feel sanctimonious, and I didn’t think the author was trying to shape my belief systems.
The religious aspect was the umbrella under which Ann and her family lived. Like most people at this time, they were God-fearing and lived according to the scriptures, supporting their faith through the most enduring times. Many people enduring the pain that Ann did would have given up on life and backed into the mist, living half a life in the shadow of grief, but her courage and resilience allowed her to forge a path through the thick and gloomy mists. Finding faith in the Methodist movement pulled Ann back from the hole of grief that threatened to swallow her up on more than one occasion.
Heather Leslie Hammer has a way with words, a natural storyteller, her voice is unique, and the tale is poignant without being sentimental or melancholic. She has woven together a masterpiece that tells of tragedies beyond measure, the beauty and healing found in the landscape and the bonds of love that hold family and community together. Ann retains an unshakeable faith and leans into the deep love, healing and comfort found in her family and Church community. This is a story of experiencing loss, and finding resilience and hope.
Writing about her ancestors, and despite growing up on the other side of the world, Heather Leslie Hammer has accomplished a remarkable tribute to her ancestors, the Leslie family, and to a bygone era in Shetland’s history, which is sure to endure for generations to come.
*Please note that you will find a Study Guide for the book for small church groups or community book groups that meet for 7 sessions of 1 or 1½ hours each, but they can also be used by individual readers or for groups that meet for more or less time. Scripture reading and singing from The United Methodist Hymnal (UMH) may be included as suggested or not.
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