Having never visited Orkney myself, I loved reading Liptrot’s account of growing up on the island as well as her experience moving back in her late-twenties. What it is, is a calming and restorative story of slowing down, self-reflection and ultimately recovery from addiction. It isn’t your typical page-turner epic, but it’s not supposed to be. With The Outrun primarily taking the form of a memoir of self-improvement and recovery, it’s no surprise that the narrative is not one full of twists and turns. Liptrot’s first-person narrative flits between present and past she narrates her day-to-day life in Orkney, working for the RSPB and navigating the tight-knit communities of its multitude of islands, often drawing comparisons to her former booze-fuelled life in London. The majority of the book documents her healing from the alcoholism that drove her out of the city to return to the nest of Orkney. Liptrot alludes to being swept away by the party lifestyle of the capital, which eventually led to the break up of her relationship. Liptrot studied at the University of Edinburgh – already quite a significant transition from Orkney – before moving to London in her early twenties. Liptrot’s memoir documents her return to the island in her late twenties a homecoming induced by a stint in rehab for the alcohol addiction she’d battled for a number of years.

I’ve just added it to the note I keep in my phone other additions include ‘aplomb’ and ‘lackadaisical’. I think archipelago has to be one of my favourite words.

The Outrun by Amy Liptrot The perfect 2021 readĪmy Liptrot was born on the tiny archipelago of Orkney, whose population stood at around 22,000 in 2019.