[Book Review] The Hollow Sea by Annie Kirby

The Hollow Sea tells the story of Scottie, a woman struggling to come to terms with her identity. Having been adopted as a child, she has no memories before the age of 8. Yet some ghosts from the past snag her attention, and she’s called to an island chain off the Scottish coast to find out who she is.

Kirby entwines the story with that of Thordis, an Icelandic woman also drawn to the same islands, but for very different reasons. She became painted as a witch following the death of her former husband and his wife, but the book gives us a fascinating insight into Thordis as a person, rather than a cartoon villain.

These two stories slowly unspool throughout the novel via Scottie’s quest for knowledge. The novel is very much a tale of self-discovery, but also one in which an outsider can right a historical wrong by looking for information in a different way.

Woven between these two narratives is the folklore of the islands. In fact, the folklore is actually the driving force of the entire story. Kirby has created a type of being called a Hollow Fin, mermaids who can shed their tail to walk on humans as land. They’re very similar to selkies, who remove their seal skin to adopt human form. Here, withholding the mermaid’s tail skin prevents them from regaining their tail. Even better, they also have literal sea horses in their home beneath the waves.

Kirby has clearly done her research, but rather than simply choosing these tried and tested folkloric creatures (like selkies and mermaids), she’s been inspired to create something new. The Hollow Fins feel entirely plausible within the realm of folklore, and it’s the “did people believe in them, then?” question that helps to root them into the story. I was particularly taken with the sea horses!

I would say that this isn’t a book to read if you’re triggered by pregnancy loss or infertility. Scottie’s IVF journey occupies much of the early chapters. Her struggle to accept her infertility is a major theme for the later chapters. It makes a change to read a novel about a woman not defined by motherhood. As someone without children myself, it’s fascinating to see how many interactions are filtered through a family-centered lens in much of western society. That said, the fact this infertility is a problem for her may be an issue for some readers.

I really enjoyed it though, so if this sounds like your kind of book, you can buy your copy here (affiliate link).