Catriona Macdonald,The Lot, Edinburgh

Star rating: **** Expatriates with origins in these islands are often known to exaggerate innate traits to compensate for being thousands of miles from home. What, though, are we to make of New Zealand's Shetlander colony, whose version of Up-Helly-Aa extends to a swimming pool, home-made Viking longboats used for flaming target practice and, er, lawn-mower racing?