The relationship between fiction and real-life is a fascinating one. Taking inspiration from something Picasso said about art, I believe that novels offer lies that reveal bigger truths. Some people didn’t want to believe that such a Stornoway could exist, others wanted to read the novel like a work of (auto)biography. What I wanted to do was write a book that was a kind of antidote to the persistent ‘othering’ of island culture. 

The book’s higher-profile reviews were very positive. I think people found it refreshing to read a contemporary novel that offered an unflinching, self-deprecating version of island life. But it is just that – one version. Place and character necessarily being in flux, no novel can legitimately be described as definitive. I could just as well have written a book about the very, very many advantages of Scottish island life – the genuine sense of community, the safety and trust that underpin daily life, the priceless cultural heritage, the warmth, generosity and thoughtfulness that typify islanders, and so on. 

When Dogstar approached me with this commission, I relished the opportunity to revisit the narrative. Novels and plays are quite different works of art. The adaptations to stage or screen that founder are often the ones that fail to appreciate this vital truth. I decided this project would only be worthwhile if I could improve on the original book. The novel is narrated through a relatively narrow, first-person singular point of view and writing this theatre piece meant I could allow the other characters room to breathe, deepen and develop. I was also able to employ a multiplicity of voices to represent different attitudes – even contradictory ones.

At the same time as I wrote the book of The Stornoway Way I started composing songs with Willie Campbell, and it seemed a natural (and exciting) decision to include songs in the play. Willie and I more recently co-wrote a number of songs with fellow islander Colin Macleod, and these, too, feature in the drama. Adapting the book for the stage has been a most enjoyable process. I think we have a terrific team. I am grateful to them and, of course, to my friends at An Lanntair, the University of Stirling, and throughout the Scottish writing community for their continued support. 

Above all, I hope you enjoy the play. 

Kevin MacNeil