Title: The Swell

Author: Kat Gordon

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Manilla Press

Publication Date: 27th February 2025

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

IN PLACES OF DARKNESS, WOMEN WILL RISE . . . 

Iceland, 1910. In the middle of a severe storm two sisters – Freyja and Gudrun – rescue a mysterious, charismatic man from a shipwreck near their remote farm.

Sixty-five years later, a young woman – Sigga – is spending time with her grandmother when they learn a body has been discovered on a mountainside near Reykjavik, perfectly preserved in ice.

Moving between the turn of the 20th century and the 1970s as a dark mystery is unravelled, The Swell is a spellbinding, beautifully atmospheric read, rich in Icelandic myth.

Review:

I am deeply interested in anything related to folklore and mythology, plus for some reason I am incredibly drawn to Icelandic settings in books, so I was very excited to read The Swell and it did not disappoint. The story alternates between two timelines, one in 1910 where two sisters who live with their father rescue a shipwrecked young sailor and the 1970’s, following a young woman, Sigga, who is close to her grandmother, a woman with secrets deep in her past. I found both captivating, especially the 1910 sections, following Gudrun and Freyja, with all the limitations and oppression that women experienced then, and many still experience now. There is a fascinating thread connected to the Icelandic sagas throughout The Swell, which I was utterly compelled by. Stories from folklore often tell us so much about reality and the culture they emerge from and the links to women, violence  and power felt completely in tune with the narrative of the book. 

Kat Gordon writes beautifully about Iceland and about female resistance. Both timelines slowly unravel as the book progresses until the full story of what happened in 1910 emerges. I loved the book from beginning to end. It has a real sense of mysticism and an undercurrent of threat and unease that makes the whole thing fabulously atmospheric. The Swell is an evocative, haunting, poignant and engrossing read that I would absolutely recommend, especially to fans of books like Burial Rites and The Mercies. 

★★★★.5 

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and the publisher for my place on this tour and for the copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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