Tom Binnie

To the Cry of the Sand'ling - The Light Before the Dawn Tom Binnie

'An engaging mystery adventure, full of humour and pathos.'
'A wonderfully absorbing and subtle tale.'
'Full of character and human understanding.'



'To the Cry of the Sand'ling' was awarded Third Place, against very stiff competition, in the 2021 Scottish Writer's Association Awards - The Barbara Hammon Trophy.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:


This is the story of three Scottish generations for an influential Scottish family: David Miller, his father Tom, and his daughter Rosie. It follows their lives through two early 18th century timelines: Rosie growing up in Cupar, a small town in East Fife; Tom, mercantile trading in Delft; and David attending an orphan school in Edinburgh before developing into an inspiring Scottish teacher.

It is a detailed story of their three lives during a time of great social, political and economic upheaval. Each one is strongly influenced by the lovers and friends they encounter on their life's journey.

It is a story of love, loss, and betrayal. It is a story of redemption, the value of learning and the acceptance of change.

This is a story of the influence of women in an age where history tells only of men.




The novel is engaging and has a strong narrative. The bulk of the tale consists of poignant and humorous episodes in the lives of
its three main characters. It is not a 'good versus evil' story; it deals with the moral conflicts within its characters as they balance duty and desire in a changing world. The secondary characters bring a lively brightness to enlighten the main characters' adventures.

The novel is chiefly an entertainment yet there are strong underlying themes. The change in the settings within the two timelines of 18th century life: a small county town, boarding school life, merchant seafaring, the freshness of the Dutch Golden age, and the claustrophobia
of a pre-enlightened Edinburgh, all act to provide a fascinating and detailed backdrop to the largely human tale.

The three threads, Rosie/Older David (Fife), Tom/Joe (Delft) and Young David (Edinburgh), are told in interwoven chapters with correlated themes of love, loss, betrayal and redemption.

Note: David Miller was a real person, - noted for being the schoolmaster of Adam Smith,
James Oswald and Robert Adam - as are many of the secondary characters featured in this 18th
century Scottish novel. The story woven around them is, of course, completely fictitious.

This novel is the first of a trilogy, entitled, 'The Light before Dawn.' The trilogy follows the lives, through the early years, of five Scotsmen who, in adulthood, contributed to the late 18th century Edinburgh Enlightenment.