Thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for my invitation to join the tour and my gifted book to write my honest review.

---

IN PLACES OF DARKNESS, WOMEN WILL RISE . . .

Iceland, 1910. In the middle of a severe storm two sisters – Freyja and Gudrun – rescue a mysterious, charismatic man from a shipwreck near their remote farm.

Sixty-five years later, a young woman – Sigga – is spending time with her grandmother when they learn a body has been discovered on a mountainside near Reykjavik, perfectly preserved in ice.

Moving between the turn of the 20th century and the 1970s as a dark mystery is unravelled, The Swell is a spellbinding, beautifully atmospheric read, rich in Icelandic myth.

---

My Review

If there is anything I can class as a favourite genre, dual timeline historical fiction is amongst the top ones. The Swell is set in 1910 and 1975 Iceland. 

In 1910, sisters Freya and Gundrún live together with their father on their remote farm. They rescue Tomas, a young man, from a shipwreck. Tomas soon beomes a large part of Freya’s life. Fast forward to 1975 and Sigga is a young woman who is at a crossroads in her life. The biggest issue is that she doesn’t want what everyone else wants and expects for her.

Kat Gordon very cleverly creates Iceland almost as a character. The atmospheric way it is written added so much to the story. Alongside the exploration of the roles of women and what it costs to go against the expectations of people, especially men. The two timelines may be decades apart but the reader is drawn to the fact that the choices may be more varied but the ways and how people feel about that is very similar.

I was enthralled with this story. I especially appreciated the historical part. The fact that in the 1970s there is body discovered and we know this before we even open the book! That had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. 

This is my first book by this author, and what a read! I thoroughly enjoyed it!