Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS’ CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD

‘Exquisite’ Daily Telegraph
‘A haunting tale’ Irish Times

Twenty years ago, Oona left the island of Inis for the very first time. A wind-blasted rock of fishing boats and turf fires, where girls stayed in their homes until they became mothers themselves, the island was a gift for some, a prison for others. Oona was barely more than a girl, but promised herself she would leave the tall tales behind and never return.

The Island Child tells two stories: of the girl who grew up watching births and betrayals, storms and secrets, and of the adult Oona, desperate to find a second chance, only to discover she can never completely escape. As the strands of Oona’s life come together, in blood and marriage and motherhood, she must accept the price we pay when we love what is never truly ours . . .

Rich, haunting and rooted in Irish folklore, The Island Child is a spellbinding debut novel about identity and motherhood, freedom and fate, and the healing power of stories.

Publisher Review

An exquisite debut from an exciting new voice in Irish fiction * * Daily Telegraph * * It's a rare pleasure to come across quite such an accomplished novel as The Island Child. This is a work positively brimming with pathos and emotion, articulated in truly exquisite prose. Oona is a captivating narrator. She's alive on the page -- NATHAN FILER author of THE SHOCK OF THE FALL A haunting tale about the power and danger in a mother's love * * Irish Times * * The Island Child is the story of a mother's relationship with a misbegotten daughter, sensitively and subtly told -- FAY WELDON author of PRAXIS An intriguing debut about motherhood, the trauma we inherit and the inescapability of fate . . . The joy of this book is in Aitken's prose, which is exquisite . . . Aitken is an exciting new voice in Irish literature * * Irish Independent * * [A] highly impressive debut * * Independent * * A magical, elemental tale. Exploring loss and love, motherhood and freedom and the transformative power of stories, The Island Child is a wonderful debut -- JESS KIDD author of THINGS IN JARS A confident tale of generational conflict and continuity * * i * * Aitken brings a gut-pummelling mix of folklore, feminism and psychological trauma to her wild debut tale of mothers impelled to take out on their daughters the sins committed against them * * Daily Mail * * Aitken stitches together many themes - folk legend, family saga, love story, coming of age tale. The result is the sort of book you want to sink into a hot bath with and not emerge until it's finished -- ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN author of HARMLESS LIKE YOU and STARLING DAYS