Chris Kohler’s Phantom Limb tells two parallel stories set in a divided Scotland, centuries apart. The main plot follows Gillis, an agnostic minister in modern Scotland, whose life unravels after discovering a seemingly sentient but disembodied hand on the grounds of his manse. The subplot follows Jan, an apprentice painter, in 16th-century Scotland, on an ill-fated journey to deliver a specially commissioned book to a Scottish laird. 

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This debut novel is layered and thought-provoking. I was immediately intrigued by the macabre premise of the phantom hand creating unsettling illustrations, and I was impressed by the nuanced characterisation of Gillis and his ex-girlfriend, Rachel. Both are deeply flawed, complex, and often unlikeable, yet ultimately sympathetic. 

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Jan’s story, while immersive, felt underdeveloped compared to Gillis’s, and the novel could definetly have benefited from expanding Jan’s narrative and trimming some of Gillis’s. 

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Phantom Limb balances absurdism and humor with sharp commentary on religion, power, and Scotland’s identity. Kohler draws cynical parallels between the Reformation, the Referendum, and the shift from religion to capitalism. While the novel doesn’t seem to reach a firm conclusion (or, if it did, I wasn't smart enough to understand it), its exploration of power, corruption, and human nature is uniquely compelling. 

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That said, the novel’s sense of place felt oddly flat. For a story so rooted in Scottish identity, the setting lacked a distinctively Scottish character, leaving it feeling as though it could have taken place anywhere. 

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This isn't a perfect book by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something intelligent and darkly quirky about it that make it a stand out read. 

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