Malcolm George Galbraith is a large, somewhat clumsy, Scotsman. He¿s being forced to leave the woman he loves behind and needs to explain why.<p></p><p>So he leaves her a handwritten note on the kitchen table (well, more a 300-page letter than a note). In it, Malcolm decides to start from the beginning and tell the whole story of his long life, something he¿s never dared do before.</p><p>Because Malcolm isn¿t what he seems: he¿s had other names and lived in other places. A lot of other places. As it gathers pace, Malcolm¿s story combines tragedy, comedy, mystery, a touch of leprosy, several murders, a massacre, a ritual sacrifice, an insane tyrant, two great romances, a landslide, a fire, and a talking fish.</p>