The Book of I
United Kingdom

The Book of I

by David Greig

Spirituality & Faith Historical Fiction Literary Fiction 2025

Summary

In the year 825, a Viking raid leaves a remote Scottish island littered with the dead. Only three unlikely survivors remain: Martin, a young monk who escaped the massacre; Una, a beekeeper and mead maker freed from her abusive husband by the violence; and Grimur, an ageing Viking who survives being buried alive by his own companions.

Stranded together on an island where trust seems impossible, the three begin building an unexpected life. Martin clings to his Christian faith, Una finds freedom in the rhythms of nature, and Grimur discovers that peace may offer something the battlefield never could. But can a fragile community survive when its members come from opposing worlds—and when the past refuses to stay buried?

Set against the wild beauty of the Scottish coast, The Book of I blends brutal history with irreverent humour and surprising tenderness. David Greig explores faith, guilt, redemption, and the possibility of finding family in the most unlikely places. It is a story about what remains after destruction—and whether people who once stood on opposite sides can learn to live together.

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About the author
David Greig
David Greig

David Greig is a Scottish playwright and novelist whose work has been performed across the United Kingdom and internationally. His plays include The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Midsummer, The Events, and Dunsinane, which reimagines the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. His writing often explores cultural identity, politics, history, and the ways people from different backgrounds encounter one another. Greig studied Drama and English at the University of Bristol and became one of Scotland’s prominent contemporary theatre writers. From 2015 to 2025, he served as artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, helping shape its programme of contemporary and classic drama. Published in 2025, The Book of I is his first novel. Drawing on the history of early medieval Scotland, it brings his characteristic interest in language, belief, and human contradictions to fiction. The novel was shortlisted for the Highland Book Prize and the Bookmark Book Festival Book of the Year, introducing Greig’s distinctive blend of philosophical questions, dark humour, and emotional warmth to a new audience.

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Details
Published
2025
Author
David Greig