Debatable Land

Debatable Land

Author	Candia McWilliam
Publisher	Picador
Publication date	July 7, 1995
ISBN	978-0-330-33662-8

Debatable Land is a 1995 novel by Scottish author Candia McWilliam.^[1][2][3][4] It seeks to raise questions about the direction in which Britain (and more specifically the devolution project) is moving in the 21st century. The title refers to the debatable lands, land lying between Scotland and England when they were distinct kingdoms which perennially switched between English and Scots rule, before becoming an independent lawless territory ruled by warring clans. Set on a boat on the beautifully evoked South Pacific, the relations between the characters mirror contemporary devolutionary debates between the constitutive British states, particularly the relationship between England and Scotland.

The novel won the 1994 Guardian First Book Award.^{[citation needed]}