For me, as a Welsh person currently residing outside Wales, reading this was like coming home. I grew up on tales of the Mabinogion and the particular tale that Simon has adapted here, which I knew as the Lady of Llyn-y-Fan-Fach. It’s a lyrical retelling, told from multiple perspectives (and indeed the author explains at the end that it was inspired by first adapting the legend to an opera, so the different voices would be perfect for that). Owain and Salka are fully-realised characters, and it was lovely to see Welsh included throughout the book, particularly as it’s published by an English-language publisher (Faber). The ending is distinct from the usual one, and certainly gives food for thought! On the strength of this I hope that Simon writes further for adults in future.

First ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the year, this short novella by Francesca Simon, which tells the story of Salka, a water faerie and her shepherd husband.

This was ok. The story was good, if predictable. The writing came across as metered which I quite enjoyed, super rhythmic and flowing.

A nice quick read if you like Welsh myth. Thanks @netgalley and @faberbooks.