Beautiful Ugly set in Scotland

Submitted: 13th January 2025

Beautiful Ugly – Alice Feeney

Take a moment and think of the premise of this book. If a loved one rang you and then you heard strange noises on the line, you would worry. If you couldn’t talk to them, if there was then silence on the line, you’d worry. So then imagine you head to the spot where they were last seen only to find that there is no sign of them…

Years later, you head to a lovely yet very remote Scottish island. One day you think you see your missing loved one. But surely not?

Now is that a premise or what!!??

Map of locations in Beautiful Ugly

Beautiful Ugly set in Scotland

BOARDING PASS INFORMATION

Destination : Scotland ( a fictional islnnd)

Author guide: Alice Feeney

Genre: mystery

Food and drink to accompany: Foraging as you’re on a remote island

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A novel to transport you to a remote Scottish island

Amberly Island in Beautiful Ugly

Map of locations in Beautiful Ugly

The location is everything in this novel. It’s a remote and fictional island in Scotland. It sounds nice – it has a lovely name for example – Amberley. There’s lots of chance to switch off here with only 25 permanent residents. There’s no one allowed outside of the summer months. Oh er. Sounds a bit dodgy if you ask me.

Well, good for a thriller, it is a dodgy place and the author does a great job of creating an island that is so vividly drawn, you will be looking for it on the map. Grady in the book is the man who heads to the island after the mystery of his wife disappearing. Well, doesn’t he just start seeing her everywhere. But that’s impossible surely?

The whole time I was reading this novel I felt a sense of unease. The very fact that the main character has that moment on the phone where his world falls apart is very powerful. The feeling of helplessness, fear, wondering what on earth is going on? Then he’s got a year to just wonder and never have closure. Even before I got to the island, I felt the story was strong and moving. And then Amberley got me good and proper.

I did not see where this was going at all. How I cheered the author at the end. I laughed, cried and my mind was playing tricks on me throughout. It was a beautiful, ugly reading experience.