Beyond Our Horizon

The story is set in Glasgow, during the Cuban Missile Crisis of Oct 1962 /Three Russians are staying at the Caithness Hotel, as part of a trade delegation /Yuri the translator, and writer, Dimitry the KGB minder, and Vladimir a chemical engineer. There are various flashbacks to life in Russia, such as the bickering that goes on in communal apartments, or the tranquillity of a visit by Dimitry to his dacha /There are 3 Scottish characters /Alistair (56), the owner of Caithness Hotel. A divorcee who drinks too much, and only survives because his family inheritance allowed him to buy the hotel outright /Alistair’s daughter – Susan, 25 – runs a small shop for which she buys up-market clothes at house sales /Susan’s fiancé – David, 26 – is a chemical engineer who also speaks Russian. The Russians are in Glasgow to visit the chemical plant where he works /1962, was the last year before The Sixties got going in Britain, so attitudes towards such things as divorce, drink-driving and working-women were on the cusp