The Gloaming - Hardcover

Kirsty Logan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1911215930 ISBN 13: 9781911215936

Publisher: Harvill Secker, 2018

Synopsis

'The best lives leave a mark.' A bewitching tale of first love, shattering grief, and the dangerous magic that draws us home. Mara's island is one of stories and magic, but every story ends in the same way. She will finish her days on the cliff, turned to stone and gazing out at the horizon like all the islanders before her. Mara's parents - a boxer and a ballerina - chose this enchanted place as a refuge from the turbulence of their previous lives; they wanted to bring up their children somewhere special and safe. But the island and the sea don't care what people want, and when they claim a price from her family, Mara's world unravels. It takes the arrival of Pearl, mysterious and irresistible, to light a spark in Mara again, and allow her to consider a different story for herself. The Gloaming is a gorgeous tale of love and grief, and the gap between fairy tales and real life.

About this title

About the Author

Kirsty Logan is a writer, performer, literary editor, writing mentor and book reviewer. Her first book, The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales, won the Scott Prize and was longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize. Her novel, The Gracekeepers, won a Lambda Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Golden Tentacle for best debut. She regularly performs her stories at events and festivals throughout the world. She lives in Glasgow with her wife and their rescue puppy.

Review

"Prepare to enter a book of otherworldly tales and delights." -- Francesca Brown * Stylist * "Kirsty Logan is very talented... Selkies and other creatures of fairytales are offered us side by side with a bored girl pulling pints in the island pub... Logan brings it off, daringly... a richly imagined and many-layered novel" -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman * "A gorgeous story and unlike anything else." * The Sun * "The lustrous, abandoned intensity of her prose is always a joy" -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail * "A mystical story to lose yourself in ****" * Heat * "[Logan] draws on her native Scotland's folklore to craft an energetic tale of love and family ties... [It] ebbs like a tide to reveal the characters' secrets, rewarding readers with more depth than the genre usually allows." * UK Press Syndication * "Logan's prose is dreamlike and delicious, weaving an unsettling, unearthly tale with the confidence of a master storyteller" -- Katie Welsh * Diva * "A gorgeous old-fashioned love story of romantic love and the love between parents and children, sisters and brothers. While on the surface it may seem like a whimsical fairytale, it's how Logan deals with themes of trauma, grief, and loss through her magical metaphorical lens that makes the novel so impressive" -- Katie Goh * The Skinny * "I was captivated...Magical beliefs and stories, unreliable narrators and tragic events are all woven together beautifully. Mara's family and their many losses, and Mara's relationship with Pearl are heartbreaking and compelling to read. The characters were beautifully flawed and complex, I couldn't stop turning the pages '" -- Jess Richards, author of Snake Ropes "The Gloaming is a lyrical tale of family and isolation and love, brought to life through the magic of Logan's unique imagination and exquisite prose." -- Helen Sedgwick

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvill Secker
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1911215930
• ISBN 13: 9781911215936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320