Riverflow by Alison Layland
Alison is launching Riverflow at Booka bookshop, Oswestry at 7pm on the 19th June 2019.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“A compelling story, contemporary and relevant with its strong environmental messages, combining mystery and long-hidden family secrets with elements of a psychological thriller…” Anne Williams
“A haunting and elegantly written novel about family secrets and their shocking consequences. It builds to a twist that nearly made me miss my tube stop.” Louisa Treger
“Menace and intrigue walk hand in hand through the pages, adding a sharp edge to the tale… a fascinating, thoughtful, and compelling tale with real bite.” Liz Robinson, Lovereading
Riverflow is published on 19 June 2019 at £8.99 as a paperback original by Honno Welsh Women’s Press ISBN 9781909983977
The second novel from Chirk based author Alison Layland, Riverflow is a novel of village tensions, environmental protests and family secrets, played out against a background of fracking and floods on the River Severn:
Deep water.Dark secrets. Dangerous neighbours.
No longer the benign friend of summer, the Severn
was a restless dragon slithering its way past
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 front line of the 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 and pressure mounts, Bede’s sense of self begins to crumble and Elin is no longer sure who to believe or what to believe in.
Alison writes of the background to Riverflow that “the themes and background relate to issues I’m passionate about: in Riverflow it’s my passion for the environment: the growing ecological crisis, how to deal with it and how this affects individuals.”
Riverflow is set in Shropshire so as part of her research Alison stayed on a permaculture farm and offgrid smallholding in the area, as well as going to support the anti-fracking protests at Preston New Road in Lancashire which gave her excellent insights for the novel.
“Wonderful descriptions of nature and a keen eye for the dynamics of
life in a small community.” Isabella Costello, The Literary Sofa
Author Alison Layland is a writer and translator who has told herself stories for as long as she can remember. She first started writing them down for others to share when she moved to Wales in 1997, and a Welsh language course led the way to creative writing classes. She won the short story competition at the National Eisteddfod in 2002. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University, and after a brief spell as a taxi driver worked for several years as a chartered surveyor before returning to her first love – language. She translates from German, French and Welsh into English, and her published translations include a number of award-winning and best-selling novels. Her debut novel, Someone Else’s Conflict (2014), is also published by Honno. Find out more at www.alayland.uk
