BESIDE THE OCEAN OF TIME (POLYGON)

Thorfinn Ragnarson is the daydreaming son of a tenant farmer, avoiding both work and school despite the best efforts of family, friends and neighbours. In Thor’s reflections on the history of Orkney, and the links he draws between dreaming, writing and the whims of fate, George Mackay Brown’s lyrical descriptions capture, as ever, the myth-drenched magic of his native islands. Shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize.