I have to give it to Phil Rickman – Merrily and her daughter Jane are so beautifully drawn and written. Merrily finds herself caught in a rather confusing web of lies, half truths, and secrets. The problem is her job is on the line. Luckily for her, she has the help of Sophie (I love Sophie).
Rickman not only tackles religion, teen love (go Jane), adult love, Welsh pride, and the whole question of gypsy belief in one book. Not to mention the whole bit about stories, legends, and tales.
The bit about the Welsh pride is actually quite interesting and amusing at once. It ties nicely into the idea of independence and culture – as well as the difference between those who truly are and those who play at being part of a culture.
The book does start out a bit slow – but the ending sequence of events is brilliant. Rickman makes use of not only legends but also spooky places and teens use of certain magical boards.
It is so nice to read a book where the majority of women get along and are not in competition with each other. Merrily succeeds because she has friends and is a good friend. Several of the best scenes are with Merrily and Sophie working together. Jane, too, succeeds because she isn’t cutting herself off completely from people. The relationship between Jane and Irene, while that of girlfriend and boyfriend, not only illustrates that but also how Jane is adjusting to her changing life. The expectation is Howe, but you do have those outliers.
Lol comes into his own in this book too.