The Conditions of Unconditional Love: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (15)

Isabel Dalhousie is a rarity in modern fiction in that she’s a philosopher. Not just a philosophically minded character, as is found across genres, but an actual working philosopher. That’s her job and her life in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Thus, all the stories in this series are domestic mysteries wherein Isabel investigates people’s lives to understand why they do what they do, and help them resolve personal and relationship troubles.

Here in volume 15, she gets entangled with her niece’s love life, her publication contributors’ financial fiddles, her neighbor’s contentious book club, and her house guest’s secret shame. All involve moral dilemmas that, on one hand, are none of her business; on the other hand, they are her business because each party has entered her sphere and engaged her in their dilemmas. She rationalizes:

“[S]omething that was always just below the surface with her: the thought that she could do something to make things better. And not only could do something, but should do it. What counted was whether a person needing help had come within what she called her circle of moral recognition; once that happened, help needed to be given.”

But how? Understanding the distinctions between helping, assisting, and interfering requires deep thought, and Isabel’s thoughts comprise much of the story. It’s hard to imagine how psychologically exhausting such a cerebral life must be. Indeed, she says: “Going through life is much easier if you aren’t a philosopher. There must be far fewer problems in the unexamined life.”

That can be debated, but it serves the point of the book. Happily, despite the low amplitude of the plot—no violence, no crises, no extreme passions—the narrative isn’t dull or stodgy. Rather, Isabel faces conundrums familiar to most of us in daily life and puts our thoughts and feelings into words, showing us a way through the maze to positive outcomes.

She is especially motivated to avoid conflict, which “made her feel raw—it dirtied things, she thought. She did not want to add to the already immense burden of conflict under which society laboured. It was all very well saying that this was a minor issue, but it was on these tiny local battlefields that the greater moral battle drama was enacted. Small, apparently inconsequential acts defined the greater moral climate; local discord, as every concertgoer knew, made a difference to the sound of the larger orchestra.”

The story could be beneficial to readers struggling with relationship complexities in their own lives. The title reflects the content in many levels of emotional engagement through one small interaction at a time, and is captured here:

“Negative feelings towards others were corrosive—it was a simple as that. Forgiveness and reconciliation, tolerance and acceptance were the notes to which one should tune. If she had learned anything from her years of doing philosophy, surely it was that—a simple, homespun truth that you did not have to be a philosopher to realise. She would not allow distaste to corrupt her, and that meant that she would make an effort to like [character] when she worked with her that afternoon: That was her moral duty, for agape, as the Greeks called that pure love of others . . . is what we should both profess and practise, whatever the temptation might be in the other direction.

“And suddenly it occurred to her that here was the solution to the challenges which this chapter of complications had foisted upon her: love—and, in particular, that disinterested and unselfish love of others, agape—unconditional love, as it tended to be—that was the answer to everything . . .”

To gain full pleasure and value from this novel, it helps to have read any of the previous 14 volumes. This one jumps right in with little setup, and backstory bits are slow in coming. Since the story revolves around character and relationship, readers who already know the central characters will more comfortably grasp the dynamics. That’s not to say it can’t be read as a stand-alone novel. It just goes down easier with some knowledge of what came before.

This will likely hold true as the series continues. We can be reasonably sure it will, for Alexander McCall Smith is a prolific author, whose several series—all similar in type and tone—will provide plenty of kind and thoughtful reads while we’re waiting.