This was a shoddy book that didn’t have much to recommend it to me. Much of it gave the impression that RLS was making it up as he went along or, at least, changing his mind about what kind of novel it was during its composition. The book starts out with the premise that its contents represent a collection of found documents. However, in the end it only seemed to consist of the reflections of ‘Mackellar’ - the exasperating narrator - and an excerpt from an Irish General. I wondered why RLS would bother setting up this ‘found documents’ situation when it brings nothing to the plot and the story is effectively told as a plain narrative. It also made me compare it very unfavourably with ‘The Confessions Of A Justified Sinner’ By James Hogg, which uses the same device a lot better. Perhaps RLS was going to invent a greater diversity of documents but changed his mind!
The story itself is facile, long winded and supposes the credulity of a children’s adventure book or a James Bond film. It’s all told in a loquacious and high falutin style, which is entirely appropriate to the character of Mackellar but was still annoying and boring to read. Mackellar is forever protesting his lowly nature but then recounts how his wise counsel solves all the family problems. This simultaneous grovelling and boasting made me detest the character and treat his testimony with a good deal of suspicion. Apart from his eternal devotion to his masters we learn very little about his history or personal life.
This question of who Mackellar is and for whom he is producing these documents was the most interesting part of the book. However, the question is never really fleshed out or thrown into relief because there aren’t any other perspectives to contrast with his. Someone suggested to me that the Master of Ballantrae and Mackellar are the same person and this made me more excited about the book than at any point during reading it. Sadly, looking back on it, I don’t think there’s enough evidence to support this. I also don’t believe RLS was doing anything as clever in this mish mash of a book.
When the book starts it feels like it will be a historical novel because there is a lot of context about The Jacobite Rising and Bonnie Prince Charlie but this ultimately proves to be of minor importance. All of a sudden it is a species of pirate story, seemingly one of RLS’s favourite themes, then in exile, then back in Scotland for some duelling, then off to India, then back to Scotland again, then to NY, then off into the wilderness for a prospectors vs. natives treasure hunt. Most of the major narrative events consist of a change of place for the master and/or the rest of the cast or the master dying and then turning out not to have been dead after all. None of the scenes are especially well drawn and none of the characters are developed very deeply. It all had the feel of a confused and overly complex children’s adventure.
I wouldn’t recommend this book and thought it was worse than ‘Kidnapped’ but I’m hopeful that ‘Treasure Island’ or ‘The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ will be better!
