''Butcher's Broom'' is Neil Gunn's epic recreation of the Highland Clearances of the nineteenth century, when great changes swept through the country and its people. Tapping into the essence of Gaelic experience, ''Butcher's Broom'' is the story of a community threatened with eviction, in order to make way for sheep. At the centre of the novel is the mysterious Dark Mairi, who embodies the spirit of ancient Highland culture. The sense of Gaelic community and tradition is captured, while the novel's characters exemplify what is most vital and lasting in mankind. This is among the most moving of Gunn's works and establishes the transcendent spirituality that would be so dominant in his later work.