Machine Without Horses

In Machine Without Horses, Helen Humphreys explores the life of real-life salmon-fly dresser, Megan Boyd, who spent her life creating lures for fishermen in a small village in the north of Scotland. In the first part of the book Humphreys writes about the process of crafting a novel from an obituary of a woman who, though famous for her skill, led a very ordinary existence (it includes Humphreys learning to tie her own flies). She has taken the blank slate of Boyd's life and written about the complex feelings that might have dwelled within. Humphreys is a wonderful, gentle writer whose work I enjoy very much. Initially I thought this book was going to be a letdown but it came to life when the tale of the Megan Boyd character began and I discovered that the discussion of process informs the rest of the novel. Ruth Thomas, as she is named in this book, was born in 1915 in Surrey, England while her father was off fighting in World War 1. When he returns home he cannot bear to be indoors. He is offered a job as a gillie in Brora, Scotland, jumps at the opportunity and moves his wife and three daughters to a small cottage there. Ruth's mothers and sisters are resentful but Ruth and her father share a love of the outdoors and nature which binds them together. When another gillie teaches her to make a fly Ruth is immediately taken with the process of assembling it from feathers, thread and bits of tinsel.When she is fourteen her father secures a job for her and she leaves school without a second glance. For the next fifty years she ties salmon flies, most often from dawn to dusk, always with a beloved dog beside her. She becomes famous for her work and has many wealthy customers from around the world, including Prince Charles who helps her out in her waning years. Her solitary life passes in the quietest way and Humphries captures it beautifully. I'm so glad I read this book.

Are you interested in finding out more about Megan Boyd? Humphrey directs the reader to Kiss the Water, a 2013 documentary directed by Eric Steel and Megan Boyd: The Story of a Salmon Flydresser (2016), by Derek Mills and Jimmy Younger.

More of my reviews of books by Helen Humphreys: The Lost Garden, Coventry, The Evening Chorus and Wild Dogs