The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective.  Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small.

In this eighth installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s captivating Isabel Dalhousie series, our irrepressible heroine tries to untangle complex questions about both the past and the present.

Isabel’s new friend Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher who was adopted as a small child, has come to Edinburgh searching for information about her biological father. Naturally, Isabel is more than happy to offer her services. At the same time, she must find time for her own concerns: her young son Charlie, who’s leaving babyhood further behind each day; her housekeeper Grace, who has recently begun getting financial advice from her spiritualist; her niece Cat, who’s in a new relationship, and the most pressing question of all: when and how Isabel and Jamie will finally get married. As she investigates the forgotten affairs of youth Isabel begins to wonder what those affairs lead to in the present, and in the process she discovers a whole new understanding of the meaning of family.

Isabel and her fiancé know who they are and where they come from. But not everybody is so fortunate. Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher on sabbatical in Edinburgh, has more questions than answers. Adopted at birth, Jane is trying to find her biological father, but all she knows about him is that he was a student in Edinburgh years ago. When she asks for Isabel’s help in this seemingly impossible search . . . well, of course Isabel obliges.

But Isabel also manages to find time for her own concerns: her young son, Charlie, already walking and talking; her housekeeper, Grace, whose spiritualist has lately been doubling as a financial advisor; her niece Cat’s latest relationship; and the pressing question of when and how Isabel and Jamie should finally get married.

Should the forgotten affairs of youth be left in the past, or can the memories help us understand the present? In her inimitable way, Isabel leads us to a new understanding of the meaning of family.

From the Hardcover edition.

Isabel’s new friend Jane Cooper, a visiting Australian philosopher who was adopted as a small child, has come to Edinburgh searching for information about her biological father. Naturally, Isabel is more than happy to offer her services. At the same time, she must find time for her own concerns: her young son Charlie, who’s leaving babyhood further behind each day; her housekeeper Grace, who has recently begun getting financial advice from her spiritualist; her niece Cat, who’s in a new relationship, and the most pressing question of all: when and how Isabel and Jamie will finally get married. As she investigates the forgotten affairs of youth Isabel begins to wonder what those affairs lead to in the present, and in the process she discovers a whole new understanding of the meaning of family.

Cat and Isabel talk about whether they find their occupations worthwhile. Isabel admits that she wonders about it all the time, and Cat says that she does not.  “I sell cheese and Italian sausages...I don’t have time to think.  Most people don’t.  They do what they have to do because they need to eat” (24).  How does this exchange point to the differences between aunt and niece?  What does it suggest about their approaches to life?

2. Isabel and Jane have an immediate rapport: “Their conversation had started in the deep end, unlike most conversations, which launched themselves into the shallowest of shallows” (38).  What experiences and ideas does Isabel share with Jane, although they have just met?  Do you agree with Isabel’s statement about the need for a spiritual dimension in one’s life (40-41)?

3. Though he often feels that Isabel should stay out of other people’s troubles, Jamie feels strongly that she should help Jane find her father.  Is Jamie becoming more tolerant, or is there something more than usually poignant about Jane’s situation?

4. As they lie in bed, Isabel and Jamie discuss Jane’s situation, and Isabel’s mind wanders, as it often does, on various “odd tangents” (45).  He says to her, “You think these things—these curious things come into your mind—and then you just say them.  I love it.  Listening to you is like reading an amazing book” (56).  Do you enjoy the digressions of Isabel’s thoughts as much as Jamie does?  What does Jamie’s statement tell us about the kind of closeness and affection they share?

5. In her first conversation with Isabel, Catherine Succoth is guarded, though Isabel guesses at once the nature of her relationship with Alastair Rankeillor (93-101).  What is the reason for the different mood of their second conversation?  What experience do the two women share (239)? 

6. As Isabel leaves the hospital after being sickened by eating wild mushrooms, she stops and speaks to a young man who has attempted suicide.  If you were in his position, how would you feel about Isabel’s words with you (118-19)?  Is it intrusive to speak to him, or is it an important act of kindness?

7. Cat’s new employee, Sinclair, is the sort of person Isabel can’t get along with.  What is at the heart of their conflict when they work together in the store (129-135)? What does their interaction, and Isabel’s annoyance with him, tell us about Isabel’s ideals of human behavior?

8. Recalling a conversation with a friend who commented that in a country village people say good morning to strangers, Isabel thinks, “But we are not moral strangers to those we see in the street” (143).  Do you agree with Isabel’s principle of “moral proximity”?  How would life be different if most people thought about moral issues as Isabel does?

9. Visiting Rory Cameron’s village, Isabel passes by some cows poking their head through a gate.  “‘I’m sorry, I have nothing for you,’ she muttered.”  Then she thinks, “It’s come to this at last: I’m talking to cows” (161).  How would you describe Isabel’s sense of humor?  In what kinds of situations do you find comedy in this novel?

10. What is striking about Rory Cameron’s reaction to the news that he is a father?  Why is it important for our understanding of the importance of this revelation that he is described as a disappointed man (170-73), a person “with an air of unhappiness about him” (159)?

11. Do you agree with the way Isabel handles the news that Grace has lost her savings by investing in West of Scotland Turbines (184)?  Is she right in compensating Grace for her loss?  What does Isabel’s remark, “Carry on being who you are,” tell us about the importance of their relationship (185)?

12. Isabel believes that Rory is not Jane’s biological father, and that Alastair Rankeillor probably is.  Catherine Succoth had suggested that Rory was the person Jane was looking for, but she confirms Isabel’s hunch when they meet again and she apologizes for having been misleading (241).  But now that Jane and Rory have struck up such a strong bond, Isabel doesn’t know how to proceed.  What is the right thing for Isabel to do in this situation?

13. In The Careful Use of Compliments, Jamie proposed to Isabel and Isabel suggested that it was better to wait. What happens, or what changes, to convince Isabel that it’s time to marry Jamie?  Why do Isabel and Jamie decide to have a very small wedding?

14. When they next meet, Jane admits that Georgina told her that Rory cannot be her father, because he’s infertile.  Georgina hasn’t told him the truth about why they haven’t had children: “she decided to protect him from the psychological burden of the knowledge of his infertility” (251).  Given that Rory is a sensitive and disappointed man, are Georgina and Jane right in protecting him from the knowledge that Jane isn’t his daughter?

15. Is Jane right in arguing that it’s the happiness gained, and not the authenticity of the relationship, that matters (251-54)?  Why does Isabel then feel uncomfortable about the outcome?