I have relaxed into these delightful stories over the last couple of weeks. They are numbers 8 and 9 in the series of ‘44 Scotland Street’ and I am way behind numerically. I have commented before about the incredible speed with which this author produces books, as does his Edinburgh neighbour Ian Rankin. Impossible to keep pace unless you limit your reading to just these two!
Amusingly, Alexander McCall Smith gives Ian Rankin a cameo role in ‘Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers.’ It is of course a civilised and pleasant interaction, obviously done with permission and agreement. It does though make me wonder if a few of the other characters are in fact real Scottish people with whom I am just not familiar.
‘Sunshine on Scotland Street’ is a compassionate portrait of ordinary life and its human foibles but with Alexander McCall Smith some extraordinary things happen within those quotidian lives.
Poor beleaguered Bertie, aged 6, is excited to be asked to look after his neighbour’s dog for a couple of weeks, however his mother Irene (the one who does the beleaguring) is not keen and considers the dog’s behaviour in need of psychotherapy. In ‘Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers,’Irene wins a slogan competition and goes to Dubai for a free trip and a visit to a literary festival. Her luggage is lost, she wears a air stewardess uniform because a member of the plane staff accidentally poured coffee all over her, and at her hotel in the boutique she buys traditional Arab clothing so she can return the uniform. She is then mistaken for a harem member and is dispatched to the Bedouin in the desert. Bertie is worried about his mother’s safety but also delights in his freedom.
This is funny but not superficial. The West Lothian question is discussed and aphorisms and proverbs are considered. The books are gentle reading relaxation. I like to indulge every so often.