No Great Mischief

No Great Mischief is a 1999 bildungsroman by Canadian novelist Alistair MacLeod. The story begins with Alexander MacDonald, a successful Canadian orthodontist, driving to Toronto to visit his brother, Calum. He searches for his brother’s apartment through the city’s seedier districts and eventually finds the right place. Calum is an alcoholic, one of many people left behind by the modern world. They speak together in English and Gaelic, reminiscing about their family. As Calum becomes progressively drunker, he stops shaking, and Alex leaves to buy more alcohol.

The visit prompts Alex to think about his past. As he walks through Toronto to buy more alcohol, he remembers his family’s history. A man named Calum Ruadh brought his whole family across from Scotland in 1779, his wife dying during the trip. The family settled in Cape Breton, though his family spread across Canada and became known as clann Chalum Ruaidh. The family’s shared physical characteristics make them very recognizable.

Alex’s parents died when he was very young. He and his twin sister, Catherine, were raised by their paternal grandparents, whom they call Grandpa and Grandma. His maternal grandfather—known simply as grandfather—is a widower whose wife died in childbirth. All of the grandparents are distantly-related members of clann Chalum Ruaidh.