Reading Between the Lines

Getting to know Edinburgh through the world’s longest-running serial novel

by Jessica Martell

Alexander McCall Smith was a preeminent professor of medical law and bioethics before he became a world-renowned author of fiction, with more than 100 titles to his name. His rich life experience has supplied him with the fodder needed to create interesting, authentic characters.

“The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” may be his most popular series, but it’s the “44 Scotland Street” series, the world’s longest-running serial novel, that showcases his talent for nuanced character development.  

“The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee” is the most recently published book in the “44 Scotland Street” series. The chapters of the books in this series appear each weekday in the newspaper The Scotsman, and are published in novel form after a book’s chapters are completed.

At the time of this printing, The Scotsman readers are being treated to a new series of chapters that will be published as “Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream,” later this year. The stories focus on the lives of the residents of the eponymous: 44 Scotland Street. Throughout the course of each book, the ensemble cast of characters weather their own little storms, but neither the ups nor the downs do much to disturb the overall serenity of Scotland Street.

While there isn’t a main character in a narrative of rotating focus, Bertie seems to be the hero of the series. He is approximately 7 years old and sweet, kind, and earnest. Bertie is very smart while maintaining the naiveté of his years. For example, early in the book, Bertie’s best friend, Ranald Braveheart Macpherson, is about to have a birthday. Unfortunately for the boys, Ranald’s mom invited all the members of their class, including a few Machiavellian little girls, to celebrate his special day. Bertie and Ranald cook up a plan to ensure the party’s success: forge a letter from Ranald’s mother to Galactica MacFee’s mother.

“Dear Mrs. MacFee, I regret to say that Ranald’s party has been cancelled due to leprosy. Please tell Pansy’s mummy. And Olive’s too. So sorry. Maybe some other day.”

McCall Smith’s book titles often refer to developments in Bertie’s storyline, as in the case with Galactica MacFee. But Bertie and his family only occupy one “flat” at 44 Scotland Street. The reader spends just as much time with other residents. For example, also featured prominently are Angus Lourdie, an elderly painter and poet; his dog Cyril; and his wife, retired anthropologist Domenica MacDonald.

Some of the characters we get to know don’t actually live in the building but are connected tangentially. Big Lou is the proprietress of the neighborhood coffee shop, and Matthew owns a nearby art gallery. Despite the large cast, McCall Smith invests considerable time in each character’s development, and the reader ends up sympathizing with many of them.

While the character development is strong, the conflicts are relatively small. You won’t find high speed chases, fight scenes or other points of high drama. Rather, the range of conflicts encountered by the characters illustrates the humor and absurdity of McCall Smith’s signature style. Angus Lourdie is mistaken for a reporter and is accidentally given sensitive news from a government whistleblower skulking in the rhododendron bush of a common garden. Fat Bob, Big Lou’s husband and Highland games strong man, has an accident while working out and wakes up in the hospital with an unexplainable Swedish accent. Matthew is asked by a friend to invest in a Pict Center honoring the early Scottish people. Unfortunately, after a feasibility study, the only group interested in the center is The Association of Scottish Nudists because they have a hard time finding venues for their events due to dress code issues.

Over the course of the novel, each of the characters travels a small arc, but very little changes in the lives of the residents of 44 Scotland Street, which is the charm of this patchwork series. Curling up with one of these books is a lot like wrapping your mind in a comfy quilt, stitched together carefully with love and attention to detail. This is best illustrated in the final lines of a poem Angus Lourdie recites in the last chapter:

Love requires no justification, no excuse,

Nor does kindness, which is at love’s right hand;

Love is there, it simply is—that is all.