Books Set in Scotland (Because I’m Still Dreaming of Edinburgh)
You know that feeling when a place gets under your skin so completely you find yourself googling “jobs in Edinburgh” at 2 AM even though you it would be the most impractical move of your life? That’s been me ever since I returned from a soul-stirring trip to Scotland.
In a place steeped with so much history with Edinburgh Castle looming at every angle like something out of a fairy tale, I was sept away thinking of the many lives and stories that have unfolded over those ancient cobblestones. Then there were the misty Highlands whispering tales of ghosts, kelpies, faeries, and giants.
Scotland doesn’t just stay with you; it calls you back. Since I can’t drop my life and move to a cottage on the Isle of Skye (though not for lack of wishing), I’ve done the next best thing: prep a reading list of books set in Scotland to devour). Ever since I was a teen, books have always been my way to travel to places that weren’t attainable to me.
Grab your favorite reading nook, a tartan blanket, and a cup of tea (or better yet, a whisky dram) because I’m going to share some Scottish books I plan to read or re-read whenever I’m dreaming of a Scottish adventure.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Look, I know what you’re thinking, “Everyone and their grandmother has recommended Outlander”, but hear me out. This is kind of the Scotland gateway drug for a lot of Americans, and it really does represent the magical feeling of a visit to Scotland. It’s epic, romantic, and impossible to resist. When Claire Randall touches some ancient Scottish standing stones, she’s swept back to 18th-century Scotland where she meets Jamie Fraser, who let’s be real, is the original book boyfriend.
We can appreciate Gabaldon’s attention to the details of the landscape. After visiting the Highlands, I can truly appreciate the picture she paints of the natural world from the moors to the castles to the plants and flowers. Plus, after my trip, I can recognize so many places that turn up in the story! I’ve got to admit reading about Inverness is pretty exciting after I’ve actually walked the streets.
Warning: This book is the size of a small brick but trust me you won’t really notice the length. It moves fast.
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
After the magic and romance of Outlander, this novel is the perfect foil with a very dark portrayal of the rural Highlands. Set in a remote Highland crofting community in 1869, the novel presents as a series of memoirs, trial transcripts, and psychological evaluations that portray a chilling tail of triple murder.
The harsh realities of Highland life are on full display with poverty, social tensions, and isolation breeding deep bonds and dangerous resentments. This books seems as darkly beautiful and absorbing as the Highlands themselves.
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
This book seems completely charming. Set on a bohemian street in Edinburgh’s New Town, it follows the residents of a converted Georgian townhouse. Pat, a twenty-year-old on his gap year becomes entangled in the delightfully eccentric lives of his neighbors. The book emphasizes the city’s unique charms and quirks with settings that include coffee shops, art galleries, and plenty of town gossip. I can’t wait to read this and feel like I live in a super old apartment surrounded by busybody yet interesting neighbors.
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
This Booker Prize winner has broken main hearts with its portrayal of a young boy in 1980’s Glasgow. Hugh “Shuggie” Bain navigates poverty, his mother’s alcoholism, and his sense of difference in a working-class Scottish community. Glasgow is portrayed with raw honesty but tenderness and you can feel the weight of the city’s industrial decline alongside the fierce love holding the characters together.
As a tourist, we tend to see Highland beauty, Edinburgh charm, and stories from the distant past, but this book is a good reminder that Scotland’s modern real-life stories aren’t about castles and moors, they’re people facing real problems and showing incredible resilience.
Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
This novel is a true Edinburgh Gothic, set in a cursed tenement building on the Royal Mile. The story spans decades and follows the interconnected lives of the residents who lived there from 1910 to 2010. Each chapter represents a different character and time, but each is haunted by the building’s dark history. After seeing Edinburgh’s mysterious closes and visiting Gladstone’s Landing, which displays how a building can transform over the ages, I can’t wait to read the spooky story version of this history. This sounds like the perfect read to represent the way stories can lurk behind every corner in Edinburgh.
The Blackhouse by Peter May
I don’t usually go for crime novels, but this takes place on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, so I can’t resist. I’m fascinated by Scottish island life, which this novel features as Detective Fin Macleod returns to his childhood home to investigate a murder. I’m interested in reading about the wild landscape, tight-knit community, and the otherworldly sense of isolation.
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Okay, so technically most Sherlock Holmes stories take place in London, but Arthur Conan Doyle was born and educated in Edinburgh! My lodgings in Leith were right near a large statue of him and a Conan Doyle themed pub so it put me in the mood for some Sherlock. There’s a strong Scottish feel to Sherlock Holmes stories, probably the combination of dry wit, shadowy streets, and attention to detail. Plus, Doyle based Holmes on an Edinburgh professor, Dr. Joseph Bell, who had famous diagnostic abilities. Since Edinburgh is the city that shaped Doyle, I think reading some stories from this collection will summon up images of Edinburgh nights.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
This timeless classic is set in 1930s Edinburgh. The slim but powerful novel follows the story of an unconventional teacher at a girl’s school. Spark was born in Edinburgh and makes the city a major feature in her tale as she illustrates coffee house conversation in a city where ideas and academics truly matter. I can’t wait for a picture of Edinburgh during a time period I hadn’t learned much about on my visit. Maybe I’ll be able to picture Miss Brodie strutting down Princes Street in a pair of sensible heels.
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
This sounds like the perfect book for Outlander fans looking to scratch that itch. This novel is also set during the Jacobite uprising and follows a writer researching her ancestors. She finds that she can access the memories of a woman who lived through the time period so the past truly comes to live. I think this book will be perfect for capturing the feeling of standing in a Scottish castle, trying to summon the ghosts of all who lived there in the past.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson was one of three writers featured at The Writer’s Museum in Edinburgh, so I had to include one of his books on this list! This classic adventure tale follows David Balfour as he sails the islands and Scottish Highlands with dashing Alan Breck Stewart. I’ve heard that this book reads like a love letter to Stevenson’s homeland, so I look forward to reading this one, though I wish I had a chance to read it while sitting in Eilan Donan, a setting that’s surely straight out of this book.
Scotland has gotten into my bones in a similar way Ireland did when I spent a summer there. Maybe it’s something about the light on the lochs, but it’s a place where ancient legends feel like they could be true and where the landscape itself seems to tell a story. I may not be able to make my Highland cottage a reality, but until then I can curl up with these books and take a trip back to heather-covered hills and twisting cobblestone streets.
What are your favorite books set in Scotland? I’m always looking for more to add to my literary Highland travel itinerary!