ABOUT THE BOOK

After a beloved family member is drowned in a devastating flood, Bede and Elin Sherwell want nothing more than to be left in peace to pursue their off-grid life. But when the very real prospect of fracking hits their village, they are drawn in to the frontline protests. During a spring of relentless rain, a series of mysterious threats and suspicious accidents put friendships on the line and the Sherwells’ marriage under unbearable tension. Is there a connection with their uncle’s death? As the river rises under torrential rain, pressure mounts, Bede’s sense of self begins to crumble and Elin is no longer sure who to believe or what to believe in.

MY REVIEW

Nothing stays the same. You know that as well as I do. Like the riverflow. There are peaceful times, but even then there’s the scratch, scratch, scratch of erosion. Imperceptible but…there. Until it’s time for big change, for renewal, and the floods come, taking away, yes, but bringing the promise of fertility and new beginnings in their wake.

Bede and Elin are environmentalists trying to live peacefully in their off-the-grid world by the river, but their neighbor is trying to get a fracking business up and running in their backyard. When secrets start to unfold and mysterious threats start to appear, Bede and Elin’s world starts to unravel.

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a slow build up of uncertainty and doubt of one’s sanity with a surprising twist at the end. 

Thank you to Ms. Layland for giving me the opportunity to review this book with the no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alison Layland is a writer and translator. Raised in Newark and Bradford, she now lives on the Wales/Shropshire border. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University and translates from German, French and Welsh into English. Her published translations include a number of bestselling novels.

Follow Alison on her website, Twitter and Facebook.