Fiction Swansong by Kerry Andrew review – a modern folk tale A young woman runs away to the Highlands in an enigmatic novel rich in detail and musicality An eagle’s cry is ‘like a raver’s whistle at a festival in the morning, long after everyone else has stopped’. It’s the beginning of summer and she has just failed her college exams and been kicked out of her flat. There is a second voice running through Swansong – in a handful of short, italicised sections, a mysterious dead girl speaks from the past. In a note at the end of the book, she reveals that its structure is based on the folk tale of Molly Bawn, specifically the version originating from Loch Sunart in the west Highlands, and she recommends a list of relevant ballads. In the end, I felt that Swansong was hampered by the folk tale at its heart.

Source: The Guardian February 07, 2018 09:00 UTC