For two decades Boothby had been a perennial drifter. Always looking for that right place to settle, but never finding it meant that he moved from job to job and here there and everywhere. Then he was presented with a chance to live on the tiny island of Kyleakin, just off of Skye. Not only was this a unique opportunity, it was also the former home of Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water, and one of Boothby’s literary heroes.

He is asked to help the volunteers there with various tasks and running some of the tours round the island and lighthouse. Being an incomer it takes a while to gain the trust of those around him, but slowly those friendships are built. The island is a fantastic place for wildlife, there are basking sharks just off the shore, eagles soar the skies, seals zip through the waters and of course there are the otters. And as he settles in he starts to try and uncover and understand the mysterious man that was Maxwell. He meets people that knew him, and hears the rumours and stories from the locals of what they though was going on at the time.

This book is as much about the place as it is the personality of Gavin Maxwell. Where it is situated on the West Coast of Scotland means that it can be subject to the most brutal of winter storms. Boothby writes about the place with a genuine warmth. He likes the solitude that it can offer, whilst enjoying the company of others at other times. The writing is full of melancholy, as he uses the time there to reflect on his past, not with regret, just contemplation. I think that he appreciated the time that he spent there, and the freedom that he got. Worth reading in my opinion. ( )