Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC of the 2022 edition in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a chapter-by-chapter plot summary of O Caledonia wouldn't take long; not a whole lot happens in the strictest sense. There are vignettes of action, but the bulk of this skinny little book is spent simply bringing the reader into an intimate relationship with Janet, the imaginative and insightful outsider. This intimacy with the novella's protagonist and her sharp observations is balanced with the atmospheric coolness of its Gothic setting. Barker deftly illuminates the coexistence of joy and isolation, the delightful and the macabre in Janet's short life.

This edition is published with an introduction by Maggie O'Farrell, who succinctly captures the magic of O Caledonia: "Linguistic skill and deep semantic pleasure are evident in everything she writes. You can open this book at random and within seconds light upon a phrase that is not only elegant but shiveringly exact." Indeed, this book contains linguistic exactitude that is simply on another level. Less exact choices would render this book fluffy and disposable. There are countless passages, paragraphs, and even singular words that glitter or crackle on the page, bringing Janet and her world to vivid, even if tragic, life.

Barker's mastery over language is makes O Caledonia worth reading. It feels remarkably special. I'm shocked I haven't read it since it was originally published in 1991.

This story was first published in 1991 by Elspeth Barker about a doomed adolescent girl growing up in mid 19th century Scotland.

It is getting a rerelease on September 20, 2022!

We are first introduced to Janet lying murdered in her mother’s black lace wedding dress surrounded only by her pet jackdaw.

The introduction by Maggie O’Farrell prepares you to not get your hopes up for an investigation into why he killed the unfortunate girl. No, this is simply about the life of Janet growing up in a household that doesn’t understand her and the bond of books.

This was a beautiful piece of literature that I’m so happy I stumbled upon looking on NetGalley for something interesting to request.

It emphasizes the importance of books as Janet grows up learning Greek and French literature. It also professes that love from dead poets and animals can be such a joyous thing from life when you are lonely for human companionship.

I truly related to this and will be adding this to one of my personal favorites. I hope to reread this again and get a physical copy as I know I’ll learn more and more about life and love every time I delve back into it.

This is such a beautifully written book. This is a really interesting combination of a coming of age novel meets a Gothic horror. It’s dark and poetic, and I can see why its considered a modern classic.

A highly atmospheric and ambitious book, O Caledonia does a good job of ensuring the prose and character remain in perfect balance with the tone.

I'm struggling mightily with rating this book, as it is a perfect example of why flat 1-5 star ratings just don't work.

The writing is superb. Elspeth Barker is very clearly a gifted writer with an outstanding sense of humor. Her characters are nuanced, even the more minor characters, and Janet is a whirlwind of difficult-to-portray teenage angst and emotion. I loved that all of the animals had their own personalities and motivations, and even the landscape itself seemed alive under Barker's pen.

Where I'm stumbling is the story itself. I get it, this is a character-driven novella with stellar insight and lush metaphor. But I just didn't find myself ever engrossed in the story. Enchanted by sentences, paragraphs, words, even — but never by the amalgamation of these individual things into a whole. I didn't care for any of the characters, really, nor could I empathize with Janet. The ending was abrupt, which I'm sure was intentional, and didn't make a ton of sense to me, which was also probably intentional.

And this is where I struggle to rate objectively, if ratings can ever claim to be anything but 100% subjective. I'll settle on a 3.5, somewhere in the middle, because I can appreciate the quality of the writing even though I didn't really enjoy the story.

Thank you to Elspeth Barker, Scribner, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sad to say that I had never heard of Elspeth Barker before this edition's cover caught my eye on NetGalley, and that is a travesty because this book IS SO ABSURDLY GOOD.

The introduction is written by Maggie O'Farrell, author of Hamnet, and I think she summed up the story best with her quote "A surreal, hilarious, and dark story of a troubled adolescence deep in the wilds of Scotland. I once decided to become friends with someone on the sole basis that she named 'O Caledonia' as her favorite book." Honestly Maggie, I would do the same damn thing. (Also, this is irrelevant to the rest of my review but I've decided to read Hamnet based purely on the strength of O'Farrell's introduction.)

So what is this book about? That's sort of hard to answer but a fair synopsis would be that you enter the story knowing a teenage girl, Janet, has been murdered in rural Scotland and her parents don't really care. Which is, you know, alarming but also super interesting. The story then jumps back to Janet's early childhood and you basically follow her for the rest of her tragically short life. That's the plot anyway, but what this book is actually about includes: sibling bonds, betrayal, poor parenting, how isolating youth can be, and the influence of stories and literature on the bookish among us.

There's really not much more to say except that everyone should read this. It is beautiful and recognizable and un-put-down-able and will stay with you for a long, long time after you've finished it.

<i>O Caledonia</i> refuses to be put into a box. It's about the coming of age of a girl, Janet, but it's also about families, loneliness, the power of story - and oh, yes, there's a good amount of Gothic atmosphere thrown in, too.

Janet is a fantastic character. She is selfish but caring, brash but tender-hearted, sympathetic but harsh. Within the same paragraph the reader will alternately pity and disavow her, all for it to change again in the next. There are few characters as compelling as Janet in literature, and it's a testament to Barker's ability to have crafted her so well in so relatively few pages.

Barker's prose is vivid, and it sucks you in from the very first page. Auchnasaugh feels alive through Janet's eyes, and her unwavering loyalty to it is like that of a family member - indeed, she seems to perhaps feel as though it is more family than her own blood. The family dynamics are fascinating, a train wreck you can't look away from, and there is sympathy to be had for all involved.

I would highly recommend this book to any fans of literary fiction, Gothic fiction, or classic literature. This ticks all the boxes you could want in a good read, and it leaves you with that tingly "I just read something special" feeling you only get every once in a blue moon.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing a copy of this reissue for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the e-book! This book was beautifully written and I loved Janet as a character. The prose combined with such stunning scene setting reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson and Angela Carter. I will say that I may have expected too much from this because I found myself feeling a bit unfulfilled by the plot line. Regardless, I would still recommend this to fans of darker period piece literature.

An incredible, lively, dark comedy. The prose sparkles! Definitely for fans of Shirley Jackson but even YA readers into dark/goth books would love this. I wish I'd already known about it!

The language of this book was like drinking water in the middle of the desert, I was unable to stop and left with a undeniable need to continue reading. Hadn’t heard of it previously, very happy it’s getting another round of publishing. Will be on my shelf soon.