The next in my run of audiobooks and it was an interesting one.
Hagstone
Sinéad Gleeson
The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff?
On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature.
All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew.
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I am a sucker for a remote setting and secluded community, so when I read the description for this book I was sure it would be right up my street. The setting was amazing, a small island with a small community that lives alongside a group of women known as the Inions, who keep themselves sequestered from outside influence.
I knew when I finished this book that I would struggle to rate it because I did enjoy it, but I recognise that it seemed like it didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. At first, it was looking into Nell’s life and art on the island and how she fit in with the community, then the Inions become quite central to the story after they extend an invitation to Nell, and it felt at times like the story was pulling in different directions.
The introduction of the Inions to the story intrigued me and if I’m honest once that happened I wasn’t as interested in Nell outside of her time spent with them. I wasn’t entirely sure why she was brought in to the fold, as the project that they tasked her with isn’t really art, but I enjoyed witnessing the lives of the Inions and how Nell’s presence changes things for a few of them.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Nell’s invitation isn’t the only change in the way the Inions usually live their lives, the configuration of their group is shifting and it seems as if the ideals are shifting slightly too. This aspect of the story I found fascinating, watching how the influence of Maman starts to cause issues in the group and wondering what will change for them next. I would not have predicted what happened in the end though, it took a turn I didn’t quite understand.
That was another thing I found a little frustrating about this book, there were quite a few things left unexplained. As well as the unusual behaviours from Maman, there is also a sound that seems to affect only the island, and not everyone can hear it, but it causes some pretty strange things to happen. I still don’t understand its relevance to the story, other than causing friction in Nell’s relationship, and that nobody feels the need to investigate it.
Even though I did have a few frustrations, I was still swept up in the book. The writing is beautiful, with lots of evocative imagery, which lent itself well to the audiobook format because it helped to make the setting come alive, that and the brilliant narration.
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