May 2010 Debut of the Month.

Set in a 1950’s Welsh village we follow a young, naïve Gwenni as she watches with fascination the goings on in her small village where everyone knows everyone else’s business. When there is a death in the village Gwenni turns detective with her keen eye for detail and general curiosity. A lovely novel of innocence and experience from an interesting new voice.

Synopsis

Gwenni Morgan is not like any other girl in this small Welsh town. Inquisitive, bookish and full of spirit, she can fly in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, and no one seems to be asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct her own investigation. She records everything she sees and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the real truth? And what will be the consequences of finding out, for Gwenni, her family and her community?

Reviews

'I loved this debut, which manages to give a young girl's narrative an authentically quirky aspect, without ever resorting to cutesiness or cosiness ... Strachan eschews whimsy for reality in a beautifully written story about growing up.'
Independent on Sunday

About the Author

Mari Strachan has been immersed in books all her life. She has worked as a librarian in academic, school, public, private and prison libraries. She has also been a book reviewer, researcher, translator, copy writer and web editor. She and her husband live part-time on a tiny smallholding in the hills of Ceredigion, West Wales, and part-time on a narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal in London, where much of The Earth Hums in B Flat was written.   Author photo © Adam Ifans More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation