Murray Watson has a project he is not quite as excited
about it as he should be. He is not really sure what has
happened, but with each turn in his research, he hits a
wall and discovers another depressing fact about his life.
Murray, a professor at a Scotland university, has been
interested in the poet Archie Lunan since he was a
teenager. He longs to write a book about the poet and his
life. Archie, who died over 30 years earlier, probably had
a sad life, but little is known about the man.
Murray has his own issues. His relationship with his
brother is strained due to their different perspectives
surrounding the death of their father. Murray also doesn't
seem to have much luck with women, and even the short
affair with his department chair's wife has fallen flat
after someone sees them one night making love in his
office. Murray is worried the department chair will
discover his involvement with his wife and he will be out
of a job.
His attempts to glean information on Archie from various
professors, who have had experience with Archie and his
work, are futile when they are less than willing to open
up. But they give him just enough information to pursue the
leads. His one big hopeful interview would be with Christie
Graves, an intimate friend to Archie, but she has turned
him down.
When Murray is at the point of giving up his book project,
he decides to continue to the island where Archie died, if
anything just to get away from the mess of his life, but
really to fulfill his responsibility. There he encounters
Christie Graves. The excitement to interview her has
dissipated. Murray starts to feel numb about life. Yet he
can't turn back because Christie has changed her mind. It's
the shocking stipulations of the interview that forever
change Murray.
When I started reading NAMING THE BONES, I was anxious for
the plot surrounding Archie Lunan to pick up, but what I
realized is that NAMING THE BONES is really a journey of
self-understanding for the character Murray. Louise
Welsh does a fabulous job with the characters. Their
redemptions are emotional and exciting. I recommend this
story wholeheartedly.
Professor Murray Watson is rather a sad sack. His family,
his career, his affair...not even drinking offers much
joy. All his energies are now focused on his research into
Archie Lunan, a minor poet who drowned 30 years ago off a
remote stretch of Scottish coast. By redeeming Lunan's
reputation, Watson hopes to redeem his own. But the more
he learns about Lunan's sordid life, the more unlikely
redemption appears.
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