The publisher’s presentation:
Jayne Ferguson has always been a keeper of secrets, most especially her own . . .
If there’s one thing Jayne Ferguson has learnt in her life, it’s that every blessing comes with a curse. She married the most handsome man on the isle of St Kilda – but he’s a bully. She inherited her mother’s gift of second sight – but only ever forsees her fellow islanders’ deaths. She has learnt to keep to herself, treading in the shadows and shirking the highs for fear of the lows.
When a needless death strikes at the heart of her home, Jayne’s bad marriage becomes worse and she finds solace with an unlikely friend. Glimmers of happiness tantalise her, though there’s no possibility for anything more, especially once word comes of St Kilda’s evacuation.
But as the day draws near, tensions on the island rise. Secrets are being forced to the surface, passions and enmities erupting with equal violence. A man is killed, as Jayne knew he would be, and her closest friends Effie, Mhairi and Flora are each implicated.
On the mainland, the villagers scatter into new lives, hoping distance means refuge.
But then Jayne has another of her dreams and she knows the past isn’t done with them yet.
My reading experience:
I have really loved the Wild Isle series. This fourth and last book is an excellent closing chapter to the whole series.
The book takes place in the months after the evacuation of St Kilda and follows up on the lives of Effie, Mhairi and Flora. Jayne, whom we met early on in the story, is brought back into focus in this final chapter. Jayne is married to Norman, a good-looking and strong man, but also a bully and a violent husband. Jayne has the gift (or the curse) of sight and she is now the one who, together with Effie, will help tie up all the loose ends of the story. Everything comes together and the truth is finally brought to light about the fateful events that happened on the night that preceded the evacuation of the island.
I liked how this book brought all the characters back together with little cues to remind us of their role in previous parts of the series. In the author’s note, Karen Swan acknowledges that too much time went between the books, but it was not a problem for me to get back into the story. And part of that is because the story lives on in my memory. The characters are strong and interesting. They have harsh lives and the evacuation is a really difficult event in their lives. Their island is wild and has a very tough climate but it is also very beautiful and special. This small community of St Kildans sticks together and tries to create a new life for themselves in their new environment. All this is written so beautifully that as soon as I started reading this book, I was just immersed in the story and the atmosphere again. It was as if I had finished the previous book yesterday.
This is one of those book series that leaves you with deep memories. Thanks to her meticulous research and her storytelling talent, Karen Swan brings St Kilda to life for us, its nature, its sounds, its people and the history that makes it a unique place. Although it seems hard now to leave this community behind at the end of the book, it also feels as though everything has fallen well into place. I definitely recommend this book, as I had the previous ones. I am grateful for the opportunity it has given me to learn about St Kilda’s traditions and history.
For those of you who are new to the series, you can take a look at my book notes on the previous books: The Last Summer, The Stolen Hours, The Lost Lover.
Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
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