Close Knit by Jenny Colgan
The New York Times best-selling author Jenny Colgan consistently writes the sweetest, funniest and most heartfelt novels celebrating love, life and the importance of supportive family and friends. While probably best known for her uplifting romantic comedies, this versatile author also writes science fiction, including several Doctor Who stories. She could be named as the unofficial Ambassador to Scotland’s Northern Isles as her works of fiction are compelling tourist attractors with vivid atmospheric word pictures of the sea, sky, terrain and charming homes in quaint villages. What else might one expect from a woman who lives with her husband and children in a genuine Scottish castle north of Edinburgh?
A Cozy Village Wrapped in Mystery
Close Knit is set in a fictional geographically isolated small town of Carso in the far north of Scotland where the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans meet, often in stormy, swirling conflicts of wind and tides with whirlpools strong enough to sink a boat. It’s a gateway to an archipelago of lightly inhabited islands stretching towards Norway that is accessible by private boat, ferry, or by air, weather permitting.
The weather changes dramatically in an instant with frequent rain and fog, snow in winter to bright sunshine. Rain gear and sweaters, preferably hand-knit, are advisable in all seasons. Midwinter brings darkness by mid-afternoon, but awe-inspiring magical sightings of the shimmering aurora borealis help offset the gloom. By Midsummer, the skies never fully darken with 19 hours of daylight. Named by Roman invaders, this remote part of Caledonia is dotted with ancient ruins and closer to Norway than Edinburgh, indeed, nearer to the Arctic Circle some 400 miles distant than it is to London. There are more animals, particularly sheep and dairy cattle, than people. The remotest communities suffer from population sparsity with the greatest loss among the younger, working-age residents who seek employment and adventure in the growing urban areas.
The shortage of well-paying jobs combined with the disproportionately high cost of housing has created a viability problem not entirely offset by an increase in tourism. Wealthy outsiders have snapped up ancient family crofts and cottages to remodel or built lavish vacation homes they only occupy for a few weeks each year driving up the cost of housing to an unaffordable level for many locals.
Stitches, Stories, and Strong Women
The touching dedication of Close Knit reads: “In memory of my mother and grandmother, who taught me to knit, and always helped with the tricky bits.” It could well serve as a summary of this charming work of fiction. Life is full of tricky bits and is eased by the presence of loved ones as protagonist Gertie Mooney, raised in the company of women, knows to be true.
She has always lived with her mother Jean and grandmother Elspeth in one of the tiny white-washed cottages with the front door opening onto the main road. Gertie has no recollection of her father who deserted them soon after her birth, returning to his legally wed wife and children farther south. She is surrounded by those who truly love and nurture her, especially her several surrogate aunts who comprise the Carso’s Knitting Circle known as the KCs.
They crowd into the Mooney’s cottage which is crammed full of wool stockpiled against inflation in Gertie’s tiny bedroom. There is almost always one of the KCs to be found at home, sipping tea, gossiping, giving unsolicited advice, and knitting anything and everything that can be made with wool to sell or give away.
Knitting soothes and comforts Gertie allowing her time to unwind, relax and to create unique patterns and designs. Each KC has their favorite color combinations and styles while her favorites are the soft palette drawn from nature, the sky, water and countryside. Gertie, who would prefer to be called Trudie or almost any other name, is a daydreamer who fantasizes about romantic Highlanders sweeping her away.
More realistically, she dreams of having her own apartment, a boyfriend and a less mundane job than working as a clerk at Wainwright’s Grocery which she has done for too many years since secondary school was completed.
She is a true introvert, shy, quiet, reserved yet highly intelligent, competent, reliable, and a self-reliant problem-solver. Her calmness will later be demonstrated in a perilous situation. Gertie is well-liked by the KCs, her employer, co-workers, and shoppers but lacks confidence in social situations. Since high school her romantic notions have led her to form crushes on boys and later men, who scarcely know she exists.
Knitting New Threads of Adventure
Almost as soon as she hears the name Calum Frost, Gertie is smitten. Calum is an uber-wealthy Norwegian magnate whose holdings include the tiny business MacIntyre Air. He bailed out owner Randall MacIntyre after they lost a plane. This handsome jet-setting bachelor is often photographed in exotic locales in the company of super-models and celebrities but has been spending time recently at the tiny Carso airport.
Randall’s daughter Morag was two years ahead of Gertie in school but didn’t notice the timid younger girl. She is the chief pilot of a small 16-seat plane that hops between the islands delivering passengers, mail, packages, and occasional livestock. Given the changeable weather, flying by instruments is an essential skill. Best friend Nalitha runs the service desk single-handedly, checking in passengers, loading and unloading baggage, and handling any difficult situations.
Nalitha’s advanced pregnancy gives Gertie the hoped for opportunity to make some changes when she is offered the job despite her complete lack of flying experience.
A School Trip in Stitches
The adventures soon begin in Close Knit and heavily involve musician and primary schoolteacher Struan McGhie. This Carso native plays weddings and village ceilidhs when not teaching music and math to 10-year-olds in P6 (Primary Grade 6/5th grade to Americans).
His girlfriend Saskia is insistent he audition for lead guitarist with a major big city band that is holding try-outs down south. She can’t understand his reluctance to leave Carso.
Meanwhile, along with the headmistress, Struan is charged with the responsibility of taking the twelve P6 students on the highly anticipated traditional field trip. It involves flying to a nearby island, climbing a mountain, camping overnight, toasting marshmallows, singing songs, and returning the following day.
It’s been done for decades; the children’s parents loved it with most recalling a bright sunny day and a night so warm light sleeping bags were scarcely needed. All is well until Mother Nature packs a wallop and delivers an unforeseen blizzard in May. Readers will get to know Struan well.
A Tale Spun with Heart
Jenny Colgan has given her many fans, old and new, a gem of a summer read in Close Knit. Anyone who enjoys reading Sir Alexander McCall Smith, Adriana Trigiani, Sarah-Kate Lynch and Terri-Lynne DeFino and the many other fine authors who celebrate families and relationships will be delighted with this new offering.
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About Jenny Colgan:
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels for adults, including Meet Me at the Cupcake Café and Little Beach Street Bakery. When Neil the puffin from Little Beach Street Bakery caught her readers’ attention, Jenny knew she needed a story of his own – and so the idea for Polly and the Puffin was born. Jenny is married with three children and lives in Scotland. For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter: @jennycolgan.
