Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream by Andrew McCall Smith

 

Welcome once again to the gossamer world of Andrew McCall Smith. The 2025 addition to his 44 Scotland Series is titled Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream, and all the familiar characters have new adventures that connect them to life’s notoriously crooked and uncertain paths. McCall Smith sets the tone when he has Bertie maintain that ice cream is better when shared. And so, since uncertainty is certain, it is best to get on with the eating of it before it melts.

 Irene Pollack, Bertie’s mother, has taken up with a Scottish fisherman and is now splitting her time between a small north-east coast village and Edinburgh. Bertie has remained in the city with his father Stuart, and Stuart’s mother Nicola. He continues to have problems at school with classmates Olive and Pansy, who have forced him to join their Jane Austen book club.  There is more hilarity when Angus discovers that Sister Maria-Fiore has hidden a piece of the famous Stone of Scone in the Scotland Street Garden. We also get updates on lightning-struck Bruce, who has recovered and is back to his old self-centered ways.  His latest real estate venture comes to a halt when his proposed modifications run afoul of listed building requirements. Another recurring theme is the inner psychological makeup of dogs.  At one point, we learn that Angus’s dog Cyril is really just a “sophisticated sausage.” You will also meet,  Ralph, a “vegan dog” who has deserted Mathew and Elsbeth’s new neighbors for the more meat-loving household of Mathew and Elsbeth’s. They seem to have an endless supply of sausages.  

We could go on with plot details, but I must admit that the adventures of Bertie and his sidekick Ranald are more delightful than the more erudite adult characters like Angus, Domenica, Mathew, and Elsbeth. No matter. As we near the end, when things grow more reflective, all the participants gather to share a meal that concludes with Angus’ poem about love and human community.

“To the land I love so much it hurts,” he says. There is always Scotland.

                                   

I love these books and the characters that McCall Smith populates them with.  I give it a 4.75 out of five.