Over the past two weeks, Paul Dalgarno has travelled with us around Scotland, visiting 15 bookshops, taking part in three book launches, signing hundreds of books, and taking many, many photos with A Country of Eternal Light, the Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month. Paul is originally from Aberdeen but now lives in Australia, so this trip was a homecoming for Paul and an opportunity for him to celebrate his novel being published in the UK. Already shortlisted for one of Australia’s most prestigious literary awards, A Country of Eternal Life is a remarkable story about life, death, what we choose to remember, and what we would do anything to forget.
As Scottish Book of the Month, Paul was in high demand in Waterstones shops across Scotland to sign copies of his book. A huge thank you to all the fantastic Waterstones booksellers who we met along the way and who have been championing this exceptional book.
Thank you also to the brilliant indie booksellers around Edinburgh for having Paul come to sign books. Paul visited Golden Hare Books, The Edinburgh Bookshop, Lighthouse Books, Argonaut Books, and The Fruitmarket Gallery. We are always so grateful for the amazing work these booksellers do!
Paul took part in three launch events during his time in Scotland, including Waterstones Dundee and Waterstones Aberdeen, with the Edinburgh launch taking place in Toppings Edinburgh. It was a delight to see so much enthusiasm for Paul’s books at these events, and so many audience members going home clutching their copy of A Country of Eternal Light.
In addition to these fantastic events and signings, A Country of Eternal Light has also been featured in reviews and interviews in our press across the country. The Herald described the book as ‘a beautifully poignant record of a life that brought great sorrow but, nonetheless, was one well lived.’ The Dundee Courier delved into Paul’s inspiration and writing process, while the Press and Journal spoke to Paul about his Aberdeen roots. Damian Barr’s Literary Salon chose A Country of Eternal Light as their Book of the Week, and Damian said ‘A Country of Eternal Light is one of those novels that probes very directly at the meaning of life, memory, and the power of grief.’ In addition to this, there was a lovely interview in the Sunday Post with Sally McDonald in which she said ‘a fearlessly ambitious and profoundly moving exploration of ‘complicated grief’, it is deftly delivered with an honesty, humour and compassion that make it wholly accessible and relatable.’ We couldn’t agree more!
