The Island Child

An exquisite debut from an exciting new voice in Irish fiction * * Daily Telegraph * *
Like the casts of fairy stories, Aitken's characters can stand for as much as you want them to - but they're also fully realised individuals who come to you through peeks and glances, so that without being able to pinpoint how it happened, you know them, and feel you always have. This is a thrillingly original debut, and I can't wait to see what Aitken does next -- NAOISE DOLAN, author of EXCITING TIMES
A haunting tale about the power and danger in a mother's love * * Irish Times * *
It's a rare pleasure to come across quite such an accomplished novel as The Island Child. This is awork positively brimming with pathos and emotion, articulated in truly exquisite prose. Oona is a captivating narrator. She's alive on the page -- NATHAN FILER, author of THE SHOCK OF THE FALL
An intriguing debut about motherhood, the trauma we inherit and the inescapability of fate . . . The joy of this book is in Aitken's prose, which is exquisite . . . Aitken is an exciting new voice in Irish literature * * Irish Independent * *
The Island Child is the story of a mother's relationship with a misbegotten daughter, sensitively and subtly told -- FAY WELDON, author of PRAXIS
Aitken brings a gut-pummelling mix of folklore, feminism and psychological trauma to her wild debut tale of mothers impelled to take out on their daughters the sins committed against them * * Daily Mail * *
A magical, elemental tale. Exploring loss and love, motherhood and freedom and the transformative power of stories, The Island Child is a wonderful debut -- JESS KIDD, author of THINGS IN JARS
Aitken stitches together many themes - folk legend, family saga, love story, coming of age tale. The result is the sort of book you want to sink into a hot bath with and not emerge until it's finished -- ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN, author of STARLING DAYS
A confident tale of generational conflict and continuity * * i * *