Heledd's Song

LoveReading Says

Fourteen-year-old Seren had “never remembered much about her dreams before her mother died”, but now, struggling with grief while settling into a new life with her beloved nain (grandmother), Fiona Collins’ Heledd's Song sees a dream change Seren’s life. 

It all begins when Seren learns about Canu Heledd, a poem from the Red Book of Hergest, the medieval source of the Mabinogion that relates the aftermath “of a battle that had destroyed…the centre of a kingdom in the fertile Marches: land that used to be Wales, but, since the time of the battle, has been part of England”. On learning that Heledd had experienced great loss, Seren is drawn to her story: “That’s what interests me”, she tells Nain. “How people carry on after a tragedy. After someone in their family dies…”

In her dreams, Seren slips into Heledd’s 7th-century world, and they form a bond of sisterhood across centuries, with Seren’s advice for Heledd to “be true to yourself” echoing Nain’s words to her. At the same time, back in the 21st-century, Seren is able to stand up to bullies, sealing a circling of sisterhood that sees both girls summon tremendous strength in their respective worlds.

Exploring themes of grief and recovery, sisterhood and surviving trauma, friendship and kindness, Heledd's Song also shows how conflict impacts young people. As the author points out in the background notes to her short-but-stirring novel, “Our world continues to be a place where young people become homeless, or are killed in war and conflict…Heledd’s story may be old, but it is a story which is still happening to young people today”. All of which means Heledd’s Song comes recommended for thoughtful 12+-year-olds who enjoy timeless tales that have real-world resonance. Lucidly-written, Heledd’s Song could also have value in a classroom context, especially in Wales, to showcase the enduring significance of ancient texts. 

Joanne Owen

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