Debut novel from local author

FROME resident, Ruth Venn, has put pen to paper for the very first time with her debut novel, ‘Between Mackerel Sky and Starry Sea’ – available now.

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the book follows the fate of Nigerian crewmen trapped aboard their ailing factory ship in the waters of Loch Broom, Ullapool. They have inadequate clothing, are malnourished, and without funds, unable to travel back home and not allowed on Scottish soil.

The villagers of Ullapool come to their aid and an unlikely romance develops between Jim, one of the crew and Moira, a single mother. Their developing relationship brings prejudices to the fore, especially those of her brother whose bigotry threatens the stability of their previously close family.

Speaking to the Frome Times, Ruth said, “At a time when boat people are very much in the news, it may surprise people to learn that these were reluctant arrivals on our shores who wanted nothing more than to go home. Yet bureaucracy held them as prisoners in a decaying ship for many months.

“I worked in the city before coming to Somerset in 1980 where I continued my career in local government. I moved with my husband to Frome nearly five years ago, and we love it. I am 74 and this is my first novel. Over the years, I’ve often thought that I would like to attempt writing a novel, but life seemed to get in the way – a poor excuse!

“Covid and lockdowns gave me the impetus to finally give this a go and I loved the process. I joined Frome Writers’ Collective and a writing group, who pointed out all my writing faults and put me on a journey of edit, edit, edit. A huge learning curve that has, hopefully, set me on the right path for book two, which I will start in the new year.”

The book is now available as a paperback or eBook on Amazon – search, ‘Between Mackerel Sky and Starry Sea.’