A Distant View of Everything

"… it really was rude to allow oneself to daydream while somebody was talking to you. In a way, it was every bit as discourteous as taking a telephone call while engaged in conversation with another, or closing one's eyes and drifting off to sleep in a concert in full view of a performer. And yet, how did you prevent thoughts coming into your mind? And once they were there, how did you stop yourself from entertaining them?"

A Distant View Of Everything is the eleventh novel in the Isabel Dalhousie series by popular British author, Alexander McCall Smith. Editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel Dalhousie is now an even busier woman: mother to three-month-old Magnus (whose four-year-old brother, Charlie is less than impressed by his existence), another edition of the journal waiting for input on her desk, and she finds herself yet again cajoled into helping a friend solve a dilemma.

Bea Shannon, an old friend from school whose matchmaking skills are legendary in Edinburgh, has misgivings about an introduction she has made: is plastic surgeon, Tony MacUpsaig actually more interested in relieving Connie Macdonald of her money than in a genuine relationship? Is he, as has been suggested, a serial gold-digger? As if this is not enough distraction, it seems Jamie has something important he's not telling her.

This tenth instalment of Edinburgh's favourite philosopher sees Isabel musing on population growth, moral proximity, the keeping of promises, the relationship of floor space to social position, the fate of statues of famous people fallen from grace, selfie protocols, social media mores, the privilege of being alive, and having a conscience: "The trouble with having a conscience, she said to herself, is that it never sleeps"

Isabel continues to appreciate her husband, but sometimes fears for her good fortune: "That was the problem with things that were exactly as you wished them to be; that was the problem if you found yourself in Eden – there was a snake in the garden", even if she is sometimes mystified "… the key to understanding men, a friend had once said to her, is to remember that the boundaries between the man and the boy within were often blurred, and not every woman knew where they were".

As always, McCall Smith includes plenty of gentle philosophy and an abundance of wisdom: "Anybody who coins an aphorism tends to regret it – because it gets quoted back at him ad infinitum and is inevitably misunderstood" and "… the judgement of others was often more about them than the ones they were judging" are examples. Isabel's reflections often bring a smile to the face, and her banter with Jamie and her friends provide some laugh-out-loud moments. A delightful read, as always.