I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on The Swell by Kat Gordon. A story that I found hard to leave!
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- Category : Historical Fiction/Crime & Mystery
- Publisher : Manilla Press (27 Feb. 2025)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1786583526
- ISBN-13 : 978-1786583529
IN PLACES OF DARKNESS, WOMEN WILL RISE . . .
Iceland, 1910. In the middle of a severe storm two sisters – Freyja and Gudrun – rescue a mysterious, charismatic man from a shipwreck near their remote farm.
Sixty-five years later, a young woman – Sigga – is spending time with her grandmother when they learn a body has been discovered on a mountainside near Reykjavik, perfectly preserved in ice.
Moving between the turn of the 20th century and the 1970s as a dark mystery is unravelled, The Swell is a spellbinding, beautifully atmospheric read, rich in Icelandic myth.
The Swell Review
Kat Gordon’s The Swell is a beautifully layered story that blends folklore, family, and the raw power of nature across two timelines—1910 and 1975. I was immediately drawn in by the dual narrative structure, which builds an eerie tension as the mystery slowly unravels. Even when the past starts to come into focus, the future timeline holds its secrets close, keeping me guessing. I found myself wavering, reconsidering what I thought I knew.
The novel is deeply atmospheric, with the writing vividly evoking both the isolated village of the early 20th century and the more modern bustle of 1975. The contrast between the two periods is striking yet comes together, thanks to the strong sense of place and character. The harsh beauty of the Icelandic landscape is ever-present, and the scenes in the mountains had me on edge, filled with a quiet sense of dread for what I thought was coming (although it didn’t play out how I thought it would!).
I found the exploration of myth and folklore fascinating—how these stories shaped daily life, helped people make sense of the elements, and became a form of resilience in a world filled with uncertainty. One of the myths is cleverly woven into the 1975 timeline, connecting it to the Red Movement in a way that felt organic.
Both timelines delve into complex family dynamics and the role of women in society. Themes of the mother/daughter relationship play out in 1910, with Gudrun and Freyja’s bond resembling that of a mother and child. While in 1975, Sigga struggles with her own perceptions of her mother. These echoes across time gave the novel even more emotional weight. I especially appreciated how Sigga’s father, in a subtle and perhaps unconscious way, was healing a wound rooted deep in his family’s history.
The ending left me wanting more—in a good way. I would have loved to see how Sigga’s relationship with her mother evolved, and how her connection with her brother Petur might have shifted. Kat Gordon’s writing style made it so easy to immerse myself in these lives, I could have happily spent more time with them.
Ultimately, The Swell is a thought-provoking novel. It prompted me to reflect on the myths and archetypes that shape all of us, often without us even realizing it.
If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the uncanny and strong emotional undercurrents, this one is well worth reading.
About the Author
Kat Gordon was born in London. She attended Camden School for Girls, Somerville College, Oxford, and received a Masters in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway. In between, Kat has been a gymnastics coach, a theatre usher, a piano accompanist, a nanny, a researcher and worked at Time Out. She has spent a lot of time travelling, primarily in Africa.
Kat lives in London with her boyfriend and their terrifying cat, Maggie. Her first novel, The Artificial Anatomy of Parks was published by Legend Press on 1st July 2015. X: @katgordon1984
