The Geometry of Holding Hands by Alexander McCall Smith

Published by Little, Brown

This delightful new book by prolific Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith is number 13 in the Isabel Dalhousie series.

Isabel is a philosopher and an editor of the journal “Review of Applied Ethics”, living in Edinburgh in a comfortable house inherited from her father. She is a thinker, and loves philosophising about many things in her life, no matter how small. She tends to go off on tangents in her mind, which can be exasperating for those in conversation with her. And she loves a glass of chilled New Zealand white wine – something this reader can relate to!

The strength of this novel, and all books in this series, is the author’s rich use of language, and the discussions of the ethics of everyday issues. There is gentle humour, mostly plays on words, and the dramas are not earth-shattering, but each book is an absolute delight to read and enjoy. The first book in the series is called The Sunday Philosophy Club and is available at DPL from our fiction stack, and in fact every book in this series is held by DPL.

It is best to start from the beginning of the series as the reader is introduced to many characters who are present in other books. Characters such as: Cat, Isabel’s feisty, attractive niece who runs a delicatessen and has a penchant for unsuitable men; Grace, the housekeeper who worked for Isabel’s father and is a strong believer in the afterlife ; and Jamie, the handsome bassoon player who is first introduced as Cat’s boyfriend. Isabel herself also really develops as a person as the series continues, you will grow to love her and enjoy her quirks and foibles.

Check out The Geometry of Holding Hands in the DPL catalogue. 

Find out more about our digital library and membership offerings.