Novelist

Emile Mackie

Emile Mackie is a Dundee based novelist who graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University in 2007. His first novel, And This Is True (2010), was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Saltire Scottish First Book Award. His second novel, In Search of Solace, was published by Sceptre in 2014 and longlisted for the Folio Prize and the Green Carnation Prize.In 2018, Emile was awarded the J.B Priestley Award for a Writer of Promise, sponsored by the Royal Literary Fund.Emile transitioned from Emily in 2019. In the absence of a y chromosome, he decided to drop the Y from his name. He uses male pronouns (He / him).

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And This is True

For Nevis, living in the back of a van and travelling around with his father was normal. It was all he had ever known. Normality is soon picked apart when an innocent kiss turns his whole world upside down. Nevis is taken to live on a small farm in the Highlands with a family embroiled in their own struggles and 'normalities'. This is a novel about isolation, identity, memory, obsession, infatuation and truth."Irresistibly quirky...Though the book is expertly mined with narrative explosions - fire, gunshots, sudden violence and family revelations - its originality lies in the sly, halting way it reveals its mysteries, the odd perspectives that illuminate its characters, how much it is brave enough to leave unsaid [...] in Nevis Gow, Emily Mackie has created one of current fiction's freshest, funniest oddballs" (The Guardian, Justine Jordan)"A strange, intense story of love and betrayal, beautifully imagined and written; Nevis's voice will haunt you" (The Times)"And This is True, Emily Mackie's debut, is assured and deftly crafted" (The Independent)

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In Search of Solace

Jacob Little doesn't know who he is. He doesn't even know if he is 'Jacob Little' any more. After twelve years of living a life travelling from town to town changing his identity, hot in pursuit of a philosophical breakthrough, he's now in the midst of a personal breakdown. There's only one person he believes truly 'knows' who he is, an ex-lover called Solace. And so his search begins. But this novel isn't really about Jacob Little at all, it's about the people who surround him: his self deluding landlady; a teenager looking for a grand romance; an old watchmaker obsessed with time; a young girl who would rather be a boy. Each see Jacob in a different light. For each, he is a catalyst."Accomplished . . . Although the characters are a fascinating bundle of quirks, archetypes and meticulously original characterisation, Mackie's unique narrative voice is the real highlight . . . A nuanced look at identity, memory and modern Britain, In Search of Solace is a novel in the vein of Iain Banks at his best." (The Daily Express)"This is a cautionary tale about the way we live now, and the importance of being rooted in one identity . . . Mackie uses time loops to build a complex and intriguing mystery around Jacob, who although flawed, is incredibly compelling . . . An accomplished, fresh and darkly comic second novel" (The Daily Mail)"Emily Mackie was brought up in Scotland and the characters she draws in the small town are strong and believable . . . she writes beautiful, clever, often funny prose that challenges conventions . . . It hops about, forwards and backwards, diverting the reader from trying to keep up with the sequence of events. But it is only then, having disorientated the reader that Mackie begins subtly, layer by layer, peeling away the preconceptions that she herself has introduced and revealing the truth of the matter." (The Stylist)

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Meanwhile...

In 2015 Emile pressed pause on developing his writing career to put his own mental health and wellbeing front and centre. During this time he discovered a passion for nature, gardening, the environment and understanding more about climate change. These passions have since turned into positive forces for community activism and engagement. In 2025 he and his partner founded a grassroots LGBTQIA+ community group, Room to Be, focussing on gardening and creativity as a means to connect and create new opportunities for LGBTQIA+ folk in Dundee.

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