Scan barcode
A review by joecam79
Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings
4.0
We tend to associate dark fiction with “literal” darkness – with shadows, haunted houses, twilight apparitions and “things that go bump in the night”. Similarly, the “North”, with its long winter nights and its mythology of fairies, trolls and diverse monsters, seems more attuned to conventional supernatural fiction than the Southern Hemisphere.
But just as Ari Aster’s movie Midsommar showed us that there can be dark horror in the unending daylight of a Nordic summer, Kathleen Jennings’ beguiling debut Flyway successfully challenges tradition by transplanting tropes of Gothic, fantasy and supernatural fiction to an Australian context.
The novel(la) is set in a small rural settlement in Western Queensland in the recent past – early to mid-nineties, judging by the references to early internet and mobile phones. The main storyline is narrated by nineteen-year-old Bettina Scott, although between each chapter there are short interludes – fairytale-like stories-within-stories – narrated by other characters. Bettina, we learn, was a feisty teenager, but since the sudden disappearance of her father and two brothers a few years back, she has lived a secluded life under the zealous protection of her mother Nerida. One day, she receives a mysterious message which suggests that her brothers might still be alive. With the help of two old friends, Gary and Trish, she sets out on a modern-day quest, to find her brothers and, in the process, discover hidden truths about her family.
Admittedly, Flyaway takes some time getting into. Jennings does not spell out things for the reader and the first few chapters of the novel felt somewhat disorienting. However, the narrative is well worth the initial effort and as things start falling into place, it gets increasingly gripping. A small hint… it helps to keep some notes about the different characters and the families they belong to – as in any self-respecting Gothic work, surnames are more than just identifiers…
A thrilling blend of Gothic mystery, modern fairytale and folk horror, Kathleen Jennings’ Flyaway proves that a cattle town in Australia can be as atmospheric and uncanny a setting as the magical forests of the North.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2020/04/flyaway-by-kathleen-jennings.html
But just as Ari Aster’s movie Midsommar showed us that there can be dark horror in the unending daylight of a Nordic summer, Kathleen Jennings’ beguiling debut Flyway successfully challenges tradition by transplanting tropes of Gothic, fantasy and supernatural fiction to an Australian context.
The novel(la) is set in a small rural settlement in Western Queensland in the recent past – early to mid-nineties, judging by the references to early internet and mobile phones. The main storyline is narrated by nineteen-year-old Bettina Scott, although between each chapter there are short interludes – fairytale-like stories-within-stories – narrated by other characters. Bettina, we learn, was a feisty teenager, but since the sudden disappearance of her father and two brothers a few years back, she has lived a secluded life under the zealous protection of her mother Nerida. One day, she receives a mysterious message which suggests that her brothers might still be alive. With the help of two old friends, Gary and Trish, she sets out on a modern-day quest, to find her brothers and, in the process, discover hidden truths about her family.
Admittedly, Flyaway takes some time getting into. Jennings does not spell out things for the reader and the first few chapters of the novel felt somewhat disorienting. However, the narrative is well worth the initial effort and as things start falling into place, it gets increasingly gripping. A small hint… it helps to keep some notes about the different characters and the families they belong to – as in any self-respecting Gothic work, surnames are more than just identifiers…
A thrilling blend of Gothic mystery, modern fairytale and folk horror, Kathleen Jennings’ Flyaway proves that a cattle town in Australia can be as atmospheric and uncanny a setting as the magical forests of the North.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2020/04/flyaway-by-kathleen-jennings.html