This is a really unique book, set in a Welsh island community in the 1930s, a young woman seeks to reconcile her need for adventure and the love she has for her fishing community.
But it’s not a twee or predictable narrative at all, but a sharp and incisive story that brings in very important themes around perception, power, and flattening affect of trying to document real human life.
A beached whale soon brings other new creatures to the island, and Manod, intelligent and curious, must literally step in as a translator for her community.
Though this book is anchored in the harsh natural world of island, the setting also brings up relevant issues such as the political climate. There’s a really interesting interplay here between motives and politics, truth and perception, and love and duty.
One word: anchoring.
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