Fiction, World Literature, Fiction Subjects

The Island House

Name: The Island House
Author: Posie Graeme-Evans
ISBN: 9780743294430

by Posie Graeme-Evans

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Overview

From the internationally bestselling author of The Dressmaker comes an unforgettable novel about a young archaeologist who unearths ancient secrets, a tragic romance, and Viking treasure on a remote Scottish island.

One warm, rainy summer, Freya Dane, a PhD candidate in archaeology, arrives on the ancient Scottish island of Findnar. Estranged as a child from her recently dead father, himself an archaeologist, Freya yearns to understand more about the man, his work on the island, and why he left her mother so many years ago. It seems Michael Dane uncovered much of Findnar’s Viking and Christian past through his search for an illusive tomb, and Freya continues his work. The discoveries she is destined to make, far greater than her father’s, will teach her the true meaning of love and of loss.

AD 800, and a wandering comet, an omen of evil, shines down on Findnar. The fears of the locals are justified. In a Viking raid, Signy, a Pictish girl, loses her entire family. Taken in by survivors of the island’s Christian community, she falls in love with an injured Viking youth left behind by the raiders and is cast out. Confused and bereft, eventually she becomes a nun, a decision that will unleash tragedy as she is plunged into the heart of a war between three religions. Forced to choose among her ancestors’ animist beliefs, her adopted faith, and the man she loves, Signy will call out to Freya across the centuries. Ancient wrongs must be laid to rest in the present and the mystery at the heart of Findnar’s violent past exposed.

In time the comet will return, a link between past and present. But for these two women, time does not exist. For them, the past will never die. It has waited for them both.

About the Author, Posie Graeme-Evans

Posie Graeme-Evans is the author of four novels, including The Dressmaker. She has worked in the Australian media industry for the last thirty years and was named one of Variety magazine’s twenty significant women in film and television. She lives in Tasmania with her husband and creative partner Andrew Blaxland.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

“The storytelling is so strong, the characters so engaging... First-rate commercial fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“This new novel by the author of The Dressmaker should come with a neon sign alerting readers for what’s in store: a complex plot alternating between present-day and first-century Scotland that’s bursting at the seams with romance, intrigue, visions from the past, Viking marauders, battles, and lost treasure. Historical detail abounds.... Whether a mystery, a romance, a thriller, or historical fiction, this is the perfect summer read for those who want a mix of all those genres. Lots for book groups to discuss. Reading guide included.” —Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

Graeme-Evans (The Dressmaker, 2010, etc.) intertwines two adventures separated by more than a millennium. Grad student Freya Dane inherits Findnar, an island off the northeastern Scottish coast, from her father, Michael, an archaeologist who left Australia and her mother years ago. Arriving on the island, she finds a letter left by Michael, who tells her he had been excavating in the stone circle that stands on Findnar alongside the ruins of an abbey. "There are riddles in this place that I have never solved," the letter continues, "I must ask you to help me, though I have no right." It's soon apparent that these riddles concern the parallel narrative of Signy, who comes to Findnar from the mainland to perform a sacrifice, despite the hostility of the island's Christian newcomers, who object to pagan rites near their church. Freya begins digging while improving on an initially uneasy relationship with Daniel Boyne, a fisherman still guilty about the fact that Michael died while rescuing him from drowning. Signy sees Findnar sacked by Viking raiders and is rescued by a kindly nun, as is a near-dead boy who was one of the raiders. Graeme-Evans unfolds separate but equally compelling dramas as Signy falls in love with the wounded raider, with disastrous consequences, and Freya and Daniel are drawn together by unnerving shared visions of the long-ago tragedy. The semi-supernatural way the modern protagonists uncover the mysteries of the past isn't terribly plausible (or necessary), but the storytelling is so strong, the characters so engaging, that most readers won't care. Freya, longing to connect with the dead father whose absence has always haunted her romantic relationships, and Signy, resolute and defiant under the most terrible circumstances, are surrounded by a vivid supporting cast, including starchy librarian Katherine MacAllister, who was Michael's lover, and glib-but-not-so-bad architect Simon Fettler. The conclusion of Signy's saga is dark indeed, so it's a relief that Graeme-Evans lets Freya have a happy ending. First-rate commercial fiction.