Kirsty Wark

Kirsty Wark is one of the most familiar faces working in Scottish Media today. A distinguished journalist, broadcaster, and writer, Kirsty has presented a wide range of BBC programmes over the past thirty years, from the ground-breaking Late Show to the nightly current affairs show Newsnight. She has been celebrated for her formidable talent throughout her career, most notably with her multiple BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year, and Best Television Presenter.

Kirsty’s first novel lived up to this legacy – The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle was published in March 2014 and was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book Award, and nominated for the 2016 International DUBLIN Literary Award.

The House by the Loch is her second novel, and is set in 1950s Scotland: Walter MacMillan is bewitched by the clever, glamorous Jean Thompson and can’t believe his luck when she agrees to marry him. Neither can she, for Walter represents a strong, steady and loving man who can perhaps quiet the demons inside her. Yet their home on remote Loch Doon soon becomes a prison for Jean and neither a young family, nor Walter’s care, can save her. Inspired in part by Kirsty’s childhood memories and her late father, this is a story about the bonds between generations, the need to belong, and the devastating consequences of family secrets.

We are delighted to welcome one of Scotland’s finest talents to the Bookshop.