Captain of Kinnoull Hill, The

by Jamie Tennant

Dennis Duckworth - widely considered the least-likeable person on the Chicago music scene - is a philanderer and a misanthrope with a history of inflicting pain and suffering on nearly everyone he meets. When a routine flight from New York mysteriously alters its path mid-flight, he finds himself penniless and stranded on a remote hillside in rural Scotland. The hill is home to Eddie the Red Cap - a curmudgeonly, thousand-year-old goblin who secretly loves books and regrets the violent past of his people. Eddie is determined to put his murderous life of mayhem behind him; Dennis merely wants to stop being a jackass. How can it be that Dennis faces the bigger challenge? Filled with absurdity, magic, humour and hope, The Captain of Kinnoull Hill asks what happens when we can no longer abide our own nature. How much can we truly change about ourselves and -- in the end -- is it worth it to try?

The Captain of Kinnoull Hill was nominated for the Hamilton Literary Award for Fiction (2017) and the 2017 ReLit Award (Novel)

304 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2016

Reviews

[Jen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good humour in this book. Loved the Eddie character, and the magical realism. And "The Rat and Raven" is the best pub name. If Terry Fallis' "Best Laid Plans" and Michael Chabon's "Telegraph Road" had a baby and took it to Scotland, it would be this book.

[Christian (C.M. Forest) Laforet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read!

The Captain of Kinnoull Hill is the story of a first class A-hole named Dennis who finds his life turned all sorts of topsy-turvy thanks to a healthy, and unexpected, dose of magic.
I know what you’re saying, “Magic? Really? What is this, some sort of fantasy novel? Because I tried to read Lord of the Rings once in high school and couldn’t get more than half way! Also, Christian, you are a damn fine looking man!”

Now, while I can’t argue that last point, I can tell you to cool your jets on the former. You see, this book is considered something called ‘Magic Realism’. Which basically means it is set in the real world and deals with real world problems, except there’s also some magic.
Anyway, so yeah, Dennis is kinda a jerk and he ends up in Scotland because, you know, magic. And once there, after a series of unfortunate (and a few fortunate) events, he finds himself camping on a Kinnoull Hill. Oh yeah, he also meets a goblin.

I really dug the heck out of this book, and because of that, I will not reveal any more of the plot. All I will say is that shenanigans are had, oh yes, shenanigans are had indeed.

Besides the story, which is quite creative, the real star of The Captain of Kinnoull Hill is the writing. Jamie Tennant delivers so much wit, humour and sarcasm throughout that I could barely take it. And truthfully, all that stuff wouldn’t really equal a hill of haggis if not for the secret ingredient found at the base of the story…heart. Yep, The Captain is a heartfelt story about what it means to be happy in life, and the strange roads we sometimes take to get there.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. This is a solid read and I give it my official stamp of recommendation.

…What are you still doing here? I said the book is good. Go buy it already. Sheesh.

[Emily Saso · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best advice I can give to a reader is to just dive in. Don't read more than this review! If you do that, wonderful surprises await! Basically all you need to know is that this is such a funny, heart-warming read. I can't remember laughing out loud while reading a book as often as I did here. But Tennant is also a very talented writer. His prose is marvellous and his themes are wholly relatable -- you'll see yourself in this book. And you'll want to see more of Tennant too. He's a total gem of a writer (you'll brag to your book club about this discovery) and I can't wait for his second book!

[Michael Drakich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy a book that's well researched. Starting with settings, most notably Kinnoull Hill, but also everywhere else that the protagonist goes, are well described and easy for me as a reader to visualize. Don't forget the sub-plot with the music industry and his goal to make a band successful. Though I have no experience in the industry I had no reason to believe that what was described is not how it is. Then there's the goblin. He met all the criteria in Scottish lore. And in your various cast of locals and you get a diverse group of characters all met in one book. My only concern was it took too long to meet the goblin hence my rating of 4.5 stars but since Goodreads only goes on full numbers I upgraded to a five.

[Diana Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a surprise that I began it wondering how the author thought of such an imaginative plot! It centres around the main character, an unlikeable chap called Dennis Duckworth, who on taking a flight from Chicago to New York mysteriously ends up in Scotland. And from there it gets really weird. Dennis ends up homeless living on a hill overlooking a small town and meeting a goblin who ultimately changes his view of life. Yeah think about it. But the stranger the story became, I found myself even more compelled to keep reading. And with what begins as almost cynical portrait of this man's life suddenly becomes more hopeful. It is clear that the author has considerable knowledge of music, particularly alternative music because his hero (or anti-hero) is in the music business, and spouts out names of bands that I had never heard of before -- and this was a real treat. I immediately googled them and listened to their music --- Pere Ubu was a new discovery for me --- as weird a group as this story is impressively creative!

[Teena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I recall reading the back cover of this book, I'm fairly certain I misread the term "goblin" or at the very least, took it in the wrong context--after all, how can anyone combine record company music snobs and goblins? Apparently, Jamie Tennant possesses the ability to do just that and in doing so, keeps the reader completely engaged.

Without giving up too much of the plot, I will say that I LOVE Eddie's wit and sarcasm. I think I would read a book based solely on Eddie's character! (Hint, Hint) Every character is well-developed and interesting in their own right. The location provides much richness to the plot and the subtle shout-outs to Hamilton are well placed.

I enjoyed the references to the music of my youth that is peppered throughout this book. As a middle-aged woman, it was relevant to me, yet also appealed to the small part of me that would like to believe in ghosts, fairies and perhaps, amicable goblins.

Well done--I'll be waiting for the next book!

[Mel]

Music industry, goblins? I was sceptical but had to try. I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised and this is a great work of fiction from a new author. The book is humorous and littered with popular and obscure references for music fans. Beyond that the characters are unforgettable, the plotline moves steadily forward and like all good fiction, truth is told that all readers can relate to. Belief must be suspended, but it isn't forced and the resulting tale is absolutely charming. It was one of those books I was sad to finish. Can't wait to see what the author has up his sleeve next!

[Elizabeth D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Dennis is a bit of a jerk but he kind of grows on you and when he somehow winds up in Scotland he meets such interesting people, including Eddie, an actual mythical Red Cap in Scotland. Together they learn to help each other reach their goals and these unlikely friends share laughs and some life altering experiences. Mixing magic and an engaging story this is a great book for those wanting something uplifting but not preachy. I really enjoyed this!

[Karen McQuigge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Jamie's very unique first novel about the music industry and the age old question, can we ever change our ways?

[Mark Coakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and wise, don't miss this offbeat gem. Highly recommended.