Llanw (Tides)

Llanw (Tides)

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The sea in all its tempers dominates this haunting new novel by Manon Steffan Ros, set in the coastal village of Aberdyfi in north-west Wales, some time in the twentieth century. Here, where life is patterned by the tides and by the seasonal demands of fishing and tourism, orphaned twins, Gorwel and Llanw, are brought up by their story-telling grandmother. Whereas the fearless Gorwel loves the sea and ships and yearns to sail away to distant horizons, his sister Llanw cannot overcome her visceral terror of the waves. As they grow up Llanw becomes bereft at the emotional and then the physical distance that opens up between herself and her brother. Shy and full of self-doubt, she finds it increasingly difficult to communicate even with those closest to her. As she moves into the world of employment, then marriage and motherhood, she remains uncertain of her self and unconfident in relationships, even with her close friend Bet. She turns more and more to the world of her imagination, weaving tales to explain and exorcise her experiences and feelings, but worrying at their potential to come true.

The dangers and attractions of liminal places, and the shifting boundaries between reality and fiction are skilfully evoked in this lyrical and moving novel by one of the most original novelists writing in Welsh today.

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