Moving away is rarely easy. We leave behind homes, family, friends, and all the usual comforts of our lives in exchange for something which at first may seem strange and unfamiliar. While I adjusted to my new life here in Edinburgh I quickly rediscovered my love for books. This city, as you will no doubt discover, has such a rich literary culture with its multitude of charity shops, bookshops, and libraries it really is a book lovers paradise. So whether you’re an avid bookworm or you just have the sudden urge to fill out your empty shelves here’s some books that might help you feel more at home.
Perhaps your first instinct is to familiarise yourself with the city, to get to know its romantic yet gothic heart. There are of course many classic novels set in and around the city like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Heart of Midlothian but a classic I think captures the essence of the city, despite not being set there, is R. L. Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A short read but one that can still chill to the bone and with Halloween season on the way there’s no better time to read. For something more modern Trainspotting and The Amber Fury both delve into the seedier and darker aspects of the city. But fewer writers will help familiarise you with the city better than Ian Rankin whose many novels take his grizzled Detective Rebus all across the city.
Even today my longing for home is still very strong. In Wales we call this hiraeth. A word which transcends homesickness – a longing for a lost home that may no longer even exist. It was with this in mind I first bought a poetry book of Dylan Thomas’. It took me leaving my home behind to truly appreciate his words and how they could rouse that feeling of longing and loss – which ironically made me feel more at home. Poems like “Fern Hill” conjure up images of a bright and cheerful childhood while “Under Milk Wood” perfectly captures that parochial sense of Welsh village life. What may remind you of home will probably be very different from what reminds me but if you see a book that looks like it needs a home maybe you should pick it up. It might be able to make you feel at home here too.
“Edinburgh Castle” by Jordan S Hatcher is licensed under CC BY 2.0.