New novel follows an unlikely romance in Wester Ross village of Ullapool's klondyker past
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AN unlikely romance between a Highland woman and the Nigerian crew member of a Lochbroom klondyker factory ship forms the basis of a first-time author's historical novel.
Ruth Venn draws from real life events in Wester Ross for her book, Between Mackerel Sea and Starry Sky , which is set in 1987.
Large industrial ships, known as klondykers, came to fish for herring on the shores of Shetland and Lochbroom for several decades from the 1960s. These ships then delivered the fish to Norway, Africa and the Canary Islands.
They often returned with cargoes of fruit and the arrival of the klondykers often saw Highland locals mix with a host of different cultures from far away lands.
The new historical fiction and romance novel by Ruth Venn explores this period in Lochbroom and the relationships that develop between the klondyker crew members and the villagers of Lochbroom.
The book follows the fate of a Nigerian crew trapped aboard their ailing factory ship in the waters of Lochbroom. The crew have inadequate clothing, are malnourished, broke and unable to travel back home, but not allowed on Scottish soil.
The villagers of Ullapool come to their aid, and an unlikely romance develops between Jim, one of the crew, and Moira, a single mother from the area. Their relationship brings prejudices to the fore, particularly those of Moira's brother whose bigotry threatens the stability of their previously close family.
Author of the novel, Ruth Venn (74) said: "My family has a long connection with Scotland, as the Ruthven clan. I now live in Somerset, but my son–in –law used to live in Ullapool, and his mother still does. My novel is based on the events which happened to them. As soon as my son–in–law told me a little of his early life, I just knew that I had to write this novel. So the story resonates deeply with me. I would not wish for the characters in the book to be named, but older residents of Lochbroom will be very much aware on whom the characters are based.
"Over the years, I’ve often thought that I would like to attempt writing but life seemed to get in the way. But the pandemic gave me the impetus to finally give this a go and I loved the process. It's been a learning curve, but it has hopefully set me on the right path for my second book, which I have just started working on."
The book is now available to purchase from Ullapool and Dornoch bookshops, and on Amazon.
