Review of All The Murmuring Bones by A. J. Slatter
Author: A. G. Slatter
Publisher: Titan Books
Page count: 368pp
Release date: 8th April
For those new to Slatter, she writes horror, fantasy and urban fantasy - I
particularly recommend Vigil - under her full name, Angela Slatter. She
is not new to this writing business. And the thing that I’ve noticed throughout
her work, is her inventive use of mythology and fairy tale to create something
new and exciting.
In All the Murmuring Bones, she tackles the mer-folk, selkies and
well-known fairy tales surrounding those myths.
In this novel, The O’Malley’s are a family who have dealt with the sea including
associated industries for centuries. They are intimidating and powerful and
always get their way.
At the start, they took ownership of the land by Hob’s Head, near Breakwater,
built a tower which soon became a large estate and called it Hob’s Hallow. They
were making lots of money, ‘grew rich from the seas’ but never drowned and ‘swam
like seals’. Until their fortunes changed and their family stopped growing.
Aoife is the remaining “omega” and matriarch of the family; Miren her
granddaughter.
And Miren is trapped. She is expected to marry well within the extended family
and bear three children. She has no choice in their future, but Miren wants
more.
This is predominantly Miren’s story, about her desire to escape destiny and it
rattles along, aside beside the fairy tales in the family history volumes where
secrets are revealed.
We never quite know when this is set, but clues such as whalebone corsets and
meerschaum pipes plus a travelling acting troupe suggests an early Regency
period but certainly darker than you would find in any Austen novel. It also
feels distinctly Irish given the character names. And more importantly, it’s
incredibly authentic, lending more strength to the theme of feminine power,
fighting expected roles and craving independence. Certainly Adrian Fitzpatrick,
a character we meet partway through, fits the stereotype of the early Nineteenth
century villainous fop. Also, the character of Delphine who is an automaton in
an acting troupe can be seen as a metaphor for the lack of ‘autonomy’ – pun
intended - of Miren and the other women in the narrative.
The prose is wonderful, and it almost feels like you are floating languorously
amidst a sea of watery imagery and metaphor, enjoying the poetry of the language
until you are sucked under, into the depths with a jolt.
This is a truly magical and beautiful book that tells a meaningful tale whilst
still being thoroughly entertaining.
In her reimagined fairy tales, Slatter is becoming adept at weaving new stories
within this mythology, and her name will inevitably become synonymous with fairy
tales in the way that Angela Carter has become known.
Interesting fact:
A meerschaum pipe is made from the mineral sepiolite,
also known as meerschaum. Meerschaum ... German for "sea foam") is sometimes
found floating on the Black
Sea and
is rather suggestive of sea
foam.[1]