Gil Adamson: The Outlander

Gil Adamson's haunting debut novel 'The Outlander' began as "a flash of an image" of a young woman dressed in black, running. The author of two collections of poetry, Adamson first wrote the story as a poem, before attempting it as a novel. Ten years later the novel was published to worldwide acclaim.

Described by Adamson as a ‘literary Western', 'The Outlander' is set in 1903 and chronicles the journey of 19-year-old Mary Boulton, a woman who has killed her husband. Half-mad, Boulton is on the run from her husband's brothers who are pursuing her across the Canadian Rockies.

'The Outlander' offers an exhilarating, fast-paced ride, one which sees Boulton encounter a cast of idiosyncratic characters - including her horse. Each encounter alters the journey in both menacing and transformative ways; simultaneously the reader learns the provocation at the heart of the story. 'The Outlander' is currently being adapted for the screen by a UK-Canadian team of filmmakers.

Join Gil Adamson in conversation with Jenny Pattrick.