Illuminated By Water

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Travel-writer, novelist and singer-songwriter Malachy Tallack has been passionate about fishing since he was young.

Growing up in Shetland, with its myriad lochs, he and his brother would roam the island in search of trout, and in so doing discovered a sense of freedom, of wonder, and an abiding passion.

But why is it that catching a fish - or simply contemplating catching a fish - can be so thrilling, so captivating?

Why is it that time spent beside water can be imprinted so sharply in the memory?

Why is it that what seems such a simple act - that of casting a line and hoping - can feel so rich in mystery?

Illuminated by Water is Malachy's personal attempt to understand that freedom, and to trace the origins and sources of that sense of wonder. He shares the appeal of fishing, its intense joys and frustrations, the steadying effect it has both at water's edge and in the memory, and the contemplation of nature and landscape that comes with being an angler. He writes about fishing expeditions, from English canals and Scottish lochs to lakes in Canada and New Zealand, and he reflects on other aspects of angling, from its cultural significance and the emerging moral complexities to the intricacies of tying a fly.

Beautifully written and hugely engaging, this book both articulates the inexplicable lure of the river and the endless desire to return to it, and illuminates a passion that has shaped the way so many see and think about the natural world.

© Malachy Tallack 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • Malachy Tallack writes as deftly as he casts a fly. This book is illuminated by water, but also by philosophy, experience and a profound sympathy for the natural world. A delight.

    LUKE JENNINGS, author of the Killing Eve novels

  • A love letter to still, dark lochs and sparkling trout rivers; an account of a fascination and that deep-down draw we feel towards the water’s edge. Tallack’s beautiful book is full of interest, passion, and rich, buttery description. Wade into it, and let it flow through you.

    CAL FLYN, author of Islands of Abandonment

  • A masterfully told fisherman’s tale, which gets closer than most to grasping that slippery thing beyond the fish itself: the reason we are drawn to water, and what fishing can teach us.

    JEREMY WADE, author and presenter of 'River Monsters'

  • A memoir with a difference, beautifully evocative, suffused with the calm of many days spent fishing and thinking in tranquillity. The perfect gift for anglers everywhere.

    GAVIN FRANCIS, author of Island Dreams

  • A beautifully meandering meditation on the mysterious allure of fishing. From windswept lochs to sluggish canals, Malachy Tallack grapples with big ethical issues about our place in the natural world as deftly as he does the fish.

    LEE SCHOFIELD, author of Wild Fell…

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