George Douglas Brown

The House with the Green Shutters

"The House with the Green Shutters" by George Douglas Brown is a novel published in 1901. Set in a fictitious Scottish town, it tells the story of John Gourlay, a proud carrier whose prosperity and imposing house provoke envy among spiteful villagers. When ambitious merchant James Wilson returns and establishes competing businesses, Gourlay faces mounting commercial pressures. Unable to adapt, he places desperate hopes in his troubled son while his family lives in fear of his violent temper. A stark rejection of sentimental Scottish literature, the novel traces one man's stubborn resistance to change.