Settled in nicely
Barbara Henderson charts her own experiences – and those of others from across Europe – of making Scotland home, writes Joyce Mcmillan
The idea of Scotland as a welcoming place for “new Scots”, those from elsewhere who have chosen to make their lives here, is one of the central myths of modern Scottish nationalism; a myth not in the sense that it contains no truth, but in the sense that it carries huge importance for those who want to assert Scotland’s potential as an independent nation, without appearing inward-looking or xenophobic.
Barbara Henderson’s new book – her first non-fiction work, and her first book for adults after a series of successful novels for young people – is a thoughtful and profoundly decent contribution to the making and nuancing of that myth. In structure, the book is simple, interweaving the story of Henderson’s own life as a German incomer to Scotland with 30 short interviews with other people who share her experience of settling here. It’s one of the limitations of the book that all her interviewees are from European Union countries, and are white; and Henderson’s interviews are often so short, at just a few hundred words, that it’s difficult to gain any deep sense of the interviewees’ experience.
Henderson’s narrative of her own life, though – from her arrival in Edinburgh to study English and Scottish literature, in the early 1990s – is a much more detailed affair, one in which she cheerfully portrays herself as a naive young woman from a small town near Cologne who simply fell in love with Scotland and its culture, and who still remains a little starryeyed about the place. In that time, Henderson married her university boyfriend Rob, raised three children, taught in many Scottish schools, lived in Edinburgh, Stonehaven and Inverness, and eventually succeeded in her long-held ambition to become a published author; and she writes about all of this with a love, joy and gratitude that is clearly informed by her quiet religious faith, as well as a gentle self-mockery.
What’s striking about the book, though, is how often that sense of exhilaration and gratitude is also reflected in the interviews with other new Scots. Almost by definition, they are a dynamic group, who have made a success of their lives in a new country. Among them are Glasgow University principal Anton Muscatelli, rugby player Tim Visser, and businessman Gio Benedetti, father of the even more famous Nicola; and every one expresses huge appreciation for Scotland’s landscape and people, and for the welcome they have found here. On the matter of independence they are not unanimous, although there is a “yes” majority; many express frustration at Scotland’s lack of confidence in its own potential, urging their new country to “go for it”.
They are united, though, in their sense that dual identity is something to be prized, no matter how many years ago they left their native land. Without apparent effort, Henderson lets us see just how much they, like