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Skein Island
Skein Island, since 1945 a private refuge for women, lies in turbulent waters twelve miles off the coast of Devon. Visitors are only allowed by invitation from the reclusive Lady Amelia Worthington. Women stay for one week, paying for their stay with a story from their past; a Declaration for the Island's vast library.
Marianne's invitation arrives shortly before her quiet life at the library is violently interrupted, the aftermath leaving her husband David feeling helpless. Now, just like her mother did seventeen years ago, she must discover what her story is. Secrets are buried deep on Skein Island. The monsters of Ancient Greece and the atrocities of World War II, heroes and villains with their seers and sidekicks, and the stories of a thousand lifetimes all threaten to break free.
But every story needs an ending, whatever the cost.
From the author of The Loosening Skin and The Beauty,, a powerful and disturbing look at the roles we play, and how they form and divide us. This new edition features 'The Cold Smoke Declaration', a brand new short story set in the same world as Skein Island.
Marianne's invitation arrives shortly before her quiet life at the library is violently interrupted, the aftermath leaving her husband David feeling helpless. Now, just like her mother did seventeen years ago, she must discover what her story is. Secrets are buried deep on Skein Island. The monsters of Ancient Greece and the atrocities of World War II, heroes and villains with their seers and sidekicks, and the stories of a thousand lifetimes all threaten to break free.
But every story needs an ending, whatever the cost.
From the author of The Loosening Skin and The Beauty,, a powerful and disturbing look at the roles we play, and how they form and divide us. This new edition features 'The Cold Smoke Declaration', a brand new short story set in the same world as Skein Island.
314 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
July 21, 2020
The concept of this one is fascinating: an island off the British coast that forms a women-only retreat from the world. SKEIN ISLAND is an easy read, a British Gothic mystery-esque novel with speculative elements that I flew through (also, it's super short and I read it over a sitting of about 2-ish hours). A great sense of atmosphere pervades these pages, provoking images of grey mist and looming cliffs and dark seas.
The book itself was actually a little different to what I expected, but I did really enjoy how it engaged with the traditional narrative concept that men are often heroes whilst women are side characters, and then attempted to subvert that by focusing on women. It's up to a reader's interpretation of how successful the author has been at this, however; I would have changed certain aspects, but at the same time I saw what the author was doing, and why. (Nevertheless, I was still not as interested in David's chapters, and the ending I would've probably preferred a big female role in the ending when confronting Moira.) This book will probably land steadily with some readers, but not with others. Nevertheless, I still found it an enjoyable read, and I always love reading work by British speculative authors.
> 3.8 stars
Thank you to Titan Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review! <3
The book itself was actually a little different to what I expected, but I did really enjoy how it engaged with the traditional narrative concept that men are often heroes whilst women are side characters, and then attempted to subvert that by focusing on women. It's up to a reader's interpretation of how successful the author has been at this, however; I would have changed certain aspects, but at the same time I saw what the author was doing, and why. (Nevertheless, I was still not as interested in David's chapters, and the ending I would've probably preferred a big female role in the ending when confronting Moira.) This book will probably land steadily with some readers, but not with others. Nevertheless, I still found it an enjoyable read, and I always love reading work by British speculative authors.
> 3.8 stars
Thank you to Titan Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review! <3
November 14, 2019
“They are all born with the seed within them to become one of four things. And now those seeds are growing.�
Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley is about a private refuge twelve miles off the coast of Decon. Few receive the invitation to stay for one week, free of charge. If you are chosen, you must pay for your stay with a story from your past: a Declaration for the Island’s vast library. What happens to your Declaration after you leave the island is not your concern. Powerful and disturbing, it is a story over which the characters will fight for control. Until they realise the true enemy is the story itself.
This is one of those books which you cant put down. From the get go I was intrigued and had to find out about this Island. The mystery is unfolded fairly quickly however there is so much more to this element of the story and it’s that which keeps you reading on. The book felt quite dark and ruthless at moments, the characters and their motivations are written in an emotionally explicit way which cant help but mess with the readers minds. The story weaves into something bigger which is perceived as universal. Getting to this point is what I enjoyed the most about the writing in this book.
This was my first read by this author and I have heard her other books are just as great. For me this is a definite must read that will keep you thinking about it long after you’ve finished it.
Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley is about a private refuge twelve miles off the coast of Decon. Few receive the invitation to stay for one week, free of charge. If you are chosen, you must pay for your stay with a story from your past: a Declaration for the Island’s vast library. What happens to your Declaration after you leave the island is not your concern. Powerful and disturbing, it is a story over which the characters will fight for control. Until they realise the true enemy is the story itself.
This is one of those books which you cant put down. From the get go I was intrigued and had to find out about this Island. The mystery is unfolded fairly quickly however there is so much more to this element of the story and it’s that which keeps you reading on. The book felt quite dark and ruthless at moments, the characters and their motivations are written in an emotionally explicit way which cant help but mess with the readers minds. The story weaves into something bigger which is perceived as universal. Getting to this point is what I enjoyed the most about the writing in this book.
This was my first read by this author and I have heard her other books are just as great. For me this is a definite must read that will keep you thinking about it long after you’ve finished it.
November 13, 2019
Not quite my cup of tea.
June 23, 2024
I saw this appear in exactly one #bookstagram reel, thought it sounded cool, realized it was by the author of The Beauty (which I loved!) so I bought it and read this in one long afternoon. I could not put it down.
The book revolves around Skein Island, an invite-only resort. No men allowed. The chosen women get to stay for a week, free of charge, a temporary reprieve from their husbands, children, stresses and pressure of their every day lives. An opportunity to center themselves. The only thing it costs them is a declaration, a hand written story from their lives, that will be secreted away into the island's library.
Marianne receives one such invite. But it puts a bad taste in her mouth because it's the very same place her mother visited seventeen years ago, and from which she never returned. Though initially uninterested, she makes the rash decision to go after a terrifying encounter with a strange man one evening.
Once there, it doesn't take long before Marianne learns that there's more to the island, and it's reclusive owner, than meets the eye. Years of women's stories and the secret the island has been harboring will soon be violently pushed to the surface.
It was ALMOST a 5 star read, you guys. Once the good stuff gets going, there were a few weird moments where I felt like Whiteley bent things in an odd direction that kind of irked me, but otherwise... so sooo good! I don't know why it's not on more people's radar. Go and get it. Seriously!
Now I'm off to get the rest of her books...
The book revolves around Skein Island, an invite-only resort. No men allowed. The chosen women get to stay for a week, free of charge, a temporary reprieve from their husbands, children, stresses and pressure of their every day lives. An opportunity to center themselves. The only thing it costs them is a declaration, a hand written story from their lives, that will be secreted away into the island's library.
Marianne receives one such invite. But it puts a bad taste in her mouth because it's the very same place her mother visited seventeen years ago, and from which she never returned. Though initially uninterested, she makes the rash decision to go after a terrifying encounter with a strange man one evening.
Once there, it doesn't take long before Marianne learns that there's more to the island, and it's reclusive owner, than meets the eye. Years of women's stories and the secret the island has been harboring will soon be violently pushed to the surface.
It was ALMOST a 5 star read, you guys. Once the good stuff gets going, there were a few weird moments where I felt like Whiteley bent things in an odd direction that kind of irked me, but otherwise... so sooo good! I don't know why it's not on more people's radar. Go and get it. Seriously!
Now I'm off to get the rest of her books...
July 23, 2015
Definitely a book for fans of girlie mythological-fantasy, though due to some scenes of graphic violence and adult situations, this is a book for 18+ readers only.
I must admit, I was expecting a bit more of the Greek mythological influence on this from having read the back cover, but Skein Island was well written, well paced with believable characters and a decent, if slightly predictable, plot.
There were two or three minor editing errors, but otherwise the story was neatly presented in sections and chapters. I'm not sure if the switching from first person for the heroine's story to third person when following the hero's story really worked--perhaps it's because of my gender that I think this form may appeal more to female readers. Maybe not.
Anyway, I would recommend this to you if you're looking for a reasonable fantasy and fit the above description.
I must admit, I was expecting a bit more of the Greek mythological influence on this from having read the back cover, but Skein Island was well written, well paced with believable characters and a decent, if slightly predictable, plot.
There were two or three minor editing errors, but otherwise the story was neatly presented in sections and chapters. I'm not sure if the switching from first person for the heroine's story to third person when following the hero's story really worked--perhaps it's because of my gender that I think this form may appeal more to female readers. Maybe not.
Anyway, I would recommend this to you if you're looking for a reasonable fantasy and fit the above description.
December 12, 2019
SKEIN ISLAND was fascinating!!
The story follows Marianne who goes to the private, women's refuge known as Skein Island to try to understand why years ago her mother left her to go there and never returned. Only she finds much more than she bargained for; an old lady, a statue (that may be an ancient and powerful Greek Goddess) and a scary story!
She heads off the island retreat after being assaulted at her library job, leaving behind her confused husband. She doesn't understand that "when things happen to [her] they also happen to [him]. Maybe, not in exactly the same way, but they do happen."
By the time I got to Part Three of the story, I felt like the book could have ended and I would have been happy and satisfied with my takeaway of it, but instead, it kept going and got even more complex! Skein Island may just be for women, but what happens there affects men everywhere.
Men all around the world are playing with colored cubes in backroom bar games.
Red is for men who are heroes, Blue for villains, Yellow for sidekicks to the heroes and Green for wise men. All men can be sorted into those categories.
Marianne's husband is a Red and she isn't into it. She doesn't want to be the victim in his story or the prize at the end, but is it possible to escape if it's her fate?
If this review doesn't make much sense that's because I'm still wrapping my head around the whole thing, but I loved it and will be thinking about SKEIN ISLAND for a long time!
If you've read THE BEAUTY and thought it was weird, just wait because SKEIN ISLAND is even weirder and more wonderful.
The story follows Marianne who goes to the private, women's refuge known as Skein Island to try to understand why years ago her mother left her to go there and never returned. Only she finds much more than she bargained for; an old lady, a statue (that may be an ancient and powerful Greek Goddess) and a scary story!
She heads off the island retreat after being assaulted at her library job, leaving behind her confused husband. She doesn't understand that "when things happen to [her] they also happen to [him]. Maybe, not in exactly the same way, but they do happen."
By the time I got to Part Three of the story, I felt like the book could have ended and I would have been happy and satisfied with my takeaway of it, but instead, it kept going and got even more complex! Skein Island may just be for women, but what happens there affects men everywhere.
Men all around the world are playing with colored cubes in backroom bar games.
Red is for men who are heroes, Blue for villains, Yellow for sidekicks to the heroes and Green for wise men. All men can be sorted into those categories.
Marianne's husband is a Red and she isn't into it. She doesn't want to be the victim in his story or the prize at the end, but is it possible to escape if it's her fate?
If this review doesn't make much sense that's because I'm still wrapping my head around the whole thing, but I loved it and will be thinking about SKEIN ISLAND for a long time!
If you've read THE BEAUTY and thought it was weird, just wait because SKEIN ISLAND is even weirder and more wonderful.
November 10, 2019
Whiteley is now very much in the league of my favourite authors. I love the way stories start as one thing and morph into something else and at the same time explore being human. This a a delightful puzzle made of stories about stories and is damn hard to review when all I want to do is just say read this
Full review (ish)
Full review (ish)
September 13, 2018
First, I should point out that I loved The Beauty by Whiteley, and so went into this with very high expectations. Whilst this didn't enthral me as the former did, I still found it rich and fascinating, particularly from a thematic point of view.
Though they are very different in terms of plot, the two novels do in fact explore the same major themes, both of which I adore when handled well: gender roles and storytelling. In this case, the eponymous Skein Island has long served as a safe space and holiday resort off the coast of Britain, open exclusively to women. If their application to attend is successful, women can relax and enjoy the island's facilities for a week in exchange for a written Declaration; a story shared from their past. The novel opens with our heroine Marianne, experiencing a traumatic event, and receiving an unsolicited invitation to visit the island, years after her mother failed to return following her own stint there. She heads off in search of answers, and so begins a bizarre and somewhat fantastical chain of events.
The book urges us not to hold onto, or be defined by, the stories of the past. Drawing heavily on mythology, it goes on to explore the idea of fate, and the various roles we inhabit throughout our lives. It presents the notion that the greatest of these roles could well be that of man and woman; hero and damsel; orchestrator and passive observer. Ultimately, it asks whether or not women have the power to become the driving force in their own stories.
Whilst The Beauty was also heavy with imagery and thematic depth, for me, it was never to the detriment of the fever dream that was its narrative. In this instance, however, I felt things became a little too meta; the balance skewed slightly too much towards 'meaning' over story. That's not to say there isn't indeed an intriguing plot unravelling throughout, it's just that I could never fully lose myself in it. Still, Whiteley has once again demonstrated a deft hand in crafting intricate, thought-provoking stories, somehow very much of the now, and yet utterly timeless.
Though they are very different in terms of plot, the two novels do in fact explore the same major themes, both of which I adore when handled well: gender roles and storytelling. In this case, the eponymous Skein Island has long served as a safe space and holiday resort off the coast of Britain, open exclusively to women. If their application to attend is successful, women can relax and enjoy the island's facilities for a week in exchange for a written Declaration; a story shared from their past. The novel opens with our heroine Marianne, experiencing a traumatic event, and receiving an unsolicited invitation to visit the island, years after her mother failed to return following her own stint there. She heads off in search of answers, and so begins a bizarre and somewhat fantastical chain of events.
The book urges us not to hold onto, or be defined by, the stories of the past. Drawing heavily on mythology, it goes on to explore the idea of fate, and the various roles we inhabit throughout our lives. It presents the notion that the greatest of these roles could well be that of man and woman; hero and damsel; orchestrator and passive observer. Ultimately, it asks whether or not women have the power to become the driving force in their own stories.
Whilst The Beauty was also heavy with imagery and thematic depth, for me, it was never to the detriment of the fever dream that was its narrative. In this instance, however, I felt things became a little too meta; the balance skewed slightly too much towards 'meaning' over story. That's not to say there isn't indeed an intriguing plot unravelling throughout, it's just that I could never fully lose myself in it. Still, Whiteley has once again demonstrated a deft hand in crafting intricate, thought-provoking stories, somehow very much of the now, and yet utterly timeless.
November 1, 2019
*I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the synopsis alone, I knew that this was going to be a very unique story. It had elements that intrigued me, such as the mention of mythology and the fact that the Island was a sanctuary for women only. There were quite a few aspects mentioned in the synopsis though and I wanted to see how everything came together. Unfortunately, I don't think that I really got that moment of harmony, which was a shame. I was fully invested until after we found out why men weren't allowed on the Island, about just before the half way mark. I struggled to see where the plot would go after this huge reveal, but I was still intrigued.
After a while though, I found myself a bit adrift in the story, I didn't really have anything to ground me in it, as everything seemed a bit up in the air, so to speak. I couldn't ever fully grasp the plot. This was not a bad story by any means, I thought that the examinations of mundane life were very rewarding. The author writes with purpose when reflecting on society, especially gender roles and emotions. The writing was powerful, but not over complicated. I would have just loved more clarification and depth to the more imaginative ideas, because I was fully prepared to go there with the author, but there wasn't ever enough weight behind them to allow me to.
Marianne, our protagonist, was extremely interesting, as I never really knew what to make of her. I couldn't actually say whether I liked her or not, because I don't think that she was necessary meant to be liked. She was intricate and flawed and I respected her honesty. We only got to know her after an incident takes place and I wondered what she was like before it. That incident set the tone for the novel quite cleverly though, which was impressive. It immediately reminds the reader of the imbalances between women and men. It makes you look at how we view woman as strong or weak based on what's thrown their way and how they seem to be just spare parts in a man's story. Overall, this was a thought provoking and original read.
From the synopsis alone, I knew that this was going to be a very unique story. It had elements that intrigued me, such as the mention of mythology and the fact that the Island was a sanctuary for women only. There were quite a few aspects mentioned in the synopsis though and I wanted to see how everything came together. Unfortunately, I don't think that I really got that moment of harmony, which was a shame. I was fully invested until after we found out why men weren't allowed on the Island, about just before the half way mark. I struggled to see where the plot would go after this huge reveal, but I was still intrigued.
After a while though, I found myself a bit adrift in the story, I didn't really have anything to ground me in it, as everything seemed a bit up in the air, so to speak. I couldn't ever fully grasp the plot. This was not a bad story by any means, I thought that the examinations of mundane life were very rewarding. The author writes with purpose when reflecting on society, especially gender roles and emotions. The writing was powerful, but not over complicated. I would have just loved more clarification and depth to the more imaginative ideas, because I was fully prepared to go there with the author, but there wasn't ever enough weight behind them to allow me to.
Marianne, our protagonist, was extremely interesting, as I never really knew what to make of her. I couldn't actually say whether I liked her or not, because I don't think that she was necessary meant to be liked. She was intricate and flawed and I respected her honesty. We only got to know her after an incident takes place and I wondered what she was like before it. That incident set the tone for the novel quite cleverly though, which was impressive. It immediately reminds the reader of the imbalances between women and men. It makes you look at how we view woman as strong or weak based on what's thrown their way and how they seem to be just spare parts in a man's story. Overall, this was a thought provoking and original read.
October 23, 2020
2.5 stars.
Interesting concept but I did not enjoy the execution. I would not consider this a horror novel as I thought it might be going in. It’s a bit of a feminist manifesto involving goddesses which is just not my jam unfortunately.
Interesting concept but I did not enjoy the execution. I would not consider this a horror novel as I thought it might be going in. It’s a bit of a feminist manifesto involving goddesses which is just not my jam unfortunately.
January 10, 2021
So many thanks to Lydia atTitan Booksfor my gifted review copy ofSkein Islandby Aaliyah Whitely, I am so incredibly delighted to be reading this amazing book, due out on November 5th in the UK.
Quite simply, this is a stunningly written tale of a woman looking for what it means to be a woman, and how by trying to avoid the 'mistakes' her mother made leads her to Skein Island.
Marianne's invitation is not only an anomlay, arriving in the post signed by a woman who no longer exists, and at exactly a time when she needs to escape. She works in a library, a guardian of the stories that she lends out, recommends, and reshelves when finished with. The peace and respite of this place is shattered by an encounter that Marianne struggles to deal with and subsequently, she leaves nothing more than a Post It note to show her husband that she has gone.
In an echo of her own mother's disappearance, she takes up the invitation to Skein Island, where no men are allowed, no charge is made except a story which is to be stored in a vault in the basement in the manor house. The outside world views it as a middle class, middle aged women's retreat-denying the elemental power which is created when a group of women come together and share their experiences.
Back in Wootton Bassett, David's tale goes on, told in the third person, as he casts himself in the role of saviour and tries-heroically, or so he thinks-to bring his lover back home. Marianne's tale is told in the first person lending a sense of intimacy and closeness to her narrative which is missing from David's. Searching for Marianne leads David to a pub where Marianne's father has spent the majority of his days, and entry into a bizarre game which is also echoed on the island.
With overtones of Greek mythology in the aspect of Homeric tradition-the women are seen as muses, the discovery in an ancient cave in Greece is an elemental female one who pulls men to pieces, the telling of tales to bind those listening together-and an underlying folk horror thread pulling this together, the women on the island find more than they expect to when breaking into the vault to help Marianne lay her mother's legacy to rest.
As a knitter and crocheter, it never fails to amaze me how a skein of wool, which was once the fleece of a sheep, can be then transformed into a ball of wool and then woven into something which can be worn and treasured. The skein of the title can be said to represent a weaving of identity, an unravelling and coming together of sorts and also creating a binding effect. The effort of the woman and the skein of her tale are woven by her voice into something quite beautiful.
A haunting and lyrical fantasy with roots firmly in a feminist storytelling narrative, 'Skein Island' was completely absorbing and original, very difficult to put down and with themes that the reader muses on for quite some time after finishing. I am very much looking forward to her next book, 'The Loosening Skin' which is re-released by Titan this year.
Quite simply, this is a stunningly written tale of a woman looking for what it means to be a woman, and how by trying to avoid the 'mistakes' her mother made leads her to Skein Island.
Marianne's invitation is not only an anomlay, arriving in the post signed by a woman who no longer exists, and at exactly a time when she needs to escape. She works in a library, a guardian of the stories that she lends out, recommends, and reshelves when finished with. The peace and respite of this place is shattered by an encounter that Marianne struggles to deal with and subsequently, she leaves nothing more than a Post It note to show her husband that she has gone.
In an echo of her own mother's disappearance, she takes up the invitation to Skein Island, where no men are allowed, no charge is made except a story which is to be stored in a vault in the basement in the manor house. The outside world views it as a middle class, middle aged women's retreat-denying the elemental power which is created when a group of women come together and share their experiences.
Back in Wootton Bassett, David's tale goes on, told in the third person, as he casts himself in the role of saviour and tries-heroically, or so he thinks-to bring his lover back home. Marianne's tale is told in the first person lending a sense of intimacy and closeness to her narrative which is missing from David's. Searching for Marianne leads David to a pub where Marianne's father has spent the majority of his days, and entry into a bizarre game which is also echoed on the island.
With overtones of Greek mythology in the aspect of Homeric tradition-the women are seen as muses, the discovery in an ancient cave in Greece is an elemental female one who pulls men to pieces, the telling of tales to bind those listening together-and an underlying folk horror thread pulling this together, the women on the island find more than they expect to when breaking into the vault to help Marianne lay her mother's legacy to rest.
As a knitter and crocheter, it never fails to amaze me how a skein of wool, which was once the fleece of a sheep, can be then transformed into a ball of wool and then woven into something which can be worn and treasured. The skein of the title can be said to represent a weaving of identity, an unravelling and coming together of sorts and also creating a binding effect. The effort of the woman and the skein of her tale are woven by her voice into something quite beautiful.
A haunting and lyrical fantasy with roots firmly in a feminist storytelling narrative, 'Skein Island' was completely absorbing and original, very difficult to put down and with themes that the reader muses on for quite some time after finishing. I am very much looking forward to her next book, 'The Loosening Skin' which is re-released by Titan this year.
January 16, 2022
I almost feel I must have missed something in my reading of this book � whatever it was trying to say or show seemed terribly muddled, verging on offensive. I only finished it because I was holding on to a sliver of hope for a satisfying ending, ideally involving . I loved
Greensmith
and think about it often; I perhaps should have chosen a more recent novel by Whiteley (I had no idea this was a republished earlier work until reading other reviews after finishing it). I will still read more from her.
April 15, 2021
I really enjoyed this one, it had me guessing, wondering, pondering and thinking about the mystery and the implications, from the very beginning to the end. I loved how it tied together and I'm still thinking about it after finished reading. Good job, Author!
September 19, 2020
3.25�
Got to think on about this one. I enjoyed elements of this book but the characters are not really very likeable but maybe they aren't meant to be. Hmmmm.
Got to think on about this one. I enjoyed elements of this book but the characters are not really very likeable but maybe they aren't meant to be. Hmmmm.
October 30, 2020
I have to be a little honest, at first glance I didn't think that Skein Island was going to be the kind of book that I enjoy. I don't usually like books that are more grounded in reality; I want some escapism in my fiction, something fantastical that I could never actually experience in real life. So when I read the description for Skein Island it sounded like the king of thing I normally avoided, the story of a woman going away to discover herself. But, this was Titan Books, a company that specialises in horror, fantasy, and science fiction; I knew that there had to be more to the book than it first appears.
It's hard to talk about the book and not give anything away, the story takes something of a shift about a third of the way through and you realise that there's a lot more going on in the narrative than you first suspect. Up to that point, however, the book is an interesting an engaging story about a very real and very well written woman.
Marianne is a woman with an unexceptional life. She has a job she loves at her local library, a happy marriage with her husband David, and something of a strained relationship with her father. She doesn't seem to be anything special, and a lot of people will find that they can identify with Marianne because of how normal she is. She's just an average person. Don't think that I'm saying this negatively, however, as sometimes protagonists are made to be so exceptional from the very start of a book, or live in a world so different from our own, that it can be hard to find something to relate to; but this isn't something readers have to worry about here. We all know someone like Marianne.
Unfortunately, her life is thrown into disarray when she becomes the victim of an assault, an event that pushes her to make her choice to get away from her everyday life for a week and travel to Skein Island. On the island she begins to make friends with a few of her fellow visitors, and one of the members of staff, and starts to get some of the clarity that she's hoping for. But, knowing that her mother visited the island decades ago, shortly before leaving Marianne's life for good, she's desperate to know what he mother wrote in her own Declaration, a decision that sets Marianne, and readers, on a course that will change the entire narrative.
I'm going to have to talk about the story with some spoilers now, so if you don't want to know anymore I suggest you leave the review (and that you go and pick up a copy of the book); if, however, you want to know more please stick around, because things start to get weird here.
Whilst searching for the answers that she needs Marianne discovers that not only is her mother actually alive and well on the island, but there's some kind of strange, dark presence there too. It turns out that during the 1940's the islands owner, Lady Worthington, discovered something extraordinary on an island in Greece. The last living Fate. This creature controlled the destinies of men, assigning them each one of four roles in life. Unfortunately, any man in her presence would go insane, and Lady Worthington had to watch as the rest of the expedition killed themselves, including her lover. Lady Worthington discovered that telling the Fate her story turned the creature into stone, and so she brought this living statue to Skein Island, where she keeps it stuck in rock by reading it the stories of the women who visit.
Now this was more like what I'm normally interested in. The sudden, surprising shift to the supernatural comes out of nowhere, but is done in such a way that it kind of feels like a natural progression to the narrative. It's not a tonal or genre shift that disrupts the story, but actually makes Marianne's narrative all the more interesting.
When the creature ends up being freed from Skein Island, and her powers begin to affect men once again, we really get to see how strong of a woman Marianne is. The Fate wants men to fulfil their roles, to take on the mantle of either a Hero, a Villain, a Sage, or a Sidekick, and this influence sends the world spiralling out of control. Men give into these strange new roles, violence erupts onto the streets, vigilante's take the law into their own hands, and women become props in their stories.
This is what Skein Island becomes about. It takes a long, hard look at the role of women in fiction, examining the fact that for a very long time (and even still a lot today) women are things to motivate men rather than being real characters themselves. They're the things that villains target, the motivation for the heroes.
Marianne's husband David tries to do this with her. He discovers that she didn't quite get the lucky escape he thought she did during her assault, and makes the traumatic events that she went through about him. It's the thing that spurs him on to find the person who hurt her and make him pay. It's the motivation to make him the hero of the story. He even goes on to think that he's the one destined to stop the Fate and return the creature to Skein Island. Fortunately, we have such a wonderful protagonist in Marianne that she doesn't go for any of that.
Marianne isn't prepared to be someone's motivation to be a hero, or his reward for stopping the villain. She knows that that kind of storytelling is, frankly, crap. Instead, she forges her own path, and not only becomes the hero of the story, but doesn't let David think that he was the hero at all.
In a lot of ways it feels like Skein Island is sticking its middle finger up at old fashioned storytelling tropes and saying that women don't have to just be props in men's stories, but have the power to tell their own powerful narratives themselves. Skein Island goes a little bit meta, and gets the reader thinking about the nature of stories and storytelling, and how they have evolved over time. Just like the real world stories need to change to reflect their times. The world is becoming more and more equal to people of all genders, and women shouldn't just be objects. The book challenges people to break away from that kind of storytelling and to expect more not just from their fiction, but their real lives too.
A wonderfully written and clever book that draws you in before dropping the floor out from beneath you. With unexpected twists and turns, a narrative driven by interesting and realistic characters, and a story that will get you thinking about the very art of storytelling itself, Skein Island is a book that's hard to compare with others, and is sure to keep you thinking long after you've finished reading.
More book reviews at
It's hard to talk about the book and not give anything away, the story takes something of a shift about a third of the way through and you realise that there's a lot more going on in the narrative than you first suspect. Up to that point, however, the book is an interesting an engaging story about a very real and very well written woman.
Marianne is a woman with an unexceptional life. She has a job she loves at her local library, a happy marriage with her husband David, and something of a strained relationship with her father. She doesn't seem to be anything special, and a lot of people will find that they can identify with Marianne because of how normal she is. She's just an average person. Don't think that I'm saying this negatively, however, as sometimes protagonists are made to be so exceptional from the very start of a book, or live in a world so different from our own, that it can be hard to find something to relate to; but this isn't something readers have to worry about here. We all know someone like Marianne.
Unfortunately, her life is thrown into disarray when she becomes the victim of an assault, an event that pushes her to make her choice to get away from her everyday life for a week and travel to Skein Island. On the island she begins to make friends with a few of her fellow visitors, and one of the members of staff, and starts to get some of the clarity that she's hoping for. But, knowing that her mother visited the island decades ago, shortly before leaving Marianne's life for good, she's desperate to know what he mother wrote in her own Declaration, a decision that sets Marianne, and readers, on a course that will change the entire narrative.
I'm going to have to talk about the story with some spoilers now, so if you don't want to know anymore I suggest you leave the review (and that you go and pick up a copy of the book); if, however, you want to know more please stick around, because things start to get weird here.
Whilst searching for the answers that she needs Marianne discovers that not only is her mother actually alive and well on the island, but there's some kind of strange, dark presence there too. It turns out that during the 1940's the islands owner, Lady Worthington, discovered something extraordinary on an island in Greece. The last living Fate. This creature controlled the destinies of men, assigning them each one of four roles in life. Unfortunately, any man in her presence would go insane, and Lady Worthington had to watch as the rest of the expedition killed themselves, including her lover. Lady Worthington discovered that telling the Fate her story turned the creature into stone, and so she brought this living statue to Skein Island, where she keeps it stuck in rock by reading it the stories of the women who visit.
Now this was more like what I'm normally interested in. The sudden, surprising shift to the supernatural comes out of nowhere, but is done in such a way that it kind of feels like a natural progression to the narrative. It's not a tonal or genre shift that disrupts the story, but actually makes Marianne's narrative all the more interesting.
When the creature ends up being freed from Skein Island, and her powers begin to affect men once again, we really get to see how strong of a woman Marianne is. The Fate wants men to fulfil their roles, to take on the mantle of either a Hero, a Villain, a Sage, or a Sidekick, and this influence sends the world spiralling out of control. Men give into these strange new roles, violence erupts onto the streets, vigilante's take the law into their own hands, and women become props in their stories.
This is what Skein Island becomes about. It takes a long, hard look at the role of women in fiction, examining the fact that for a very long time (and even still a lot today) women are things to motivate men rather than being real characters themselves. They're the things that villains target, the motivation for the heroes.
Marianne's husband David tries to do this with her. He discovers that she didn't quite get the lucky escape he thought she did during her assault, and makes the traumatic events that she went through about him. It's the thing that spurs him on to find the person who hurt her and make him pay. It's the motivation to make him the hero of the story. He even goes on to think that he's the one destined to stop the Fate and return the creature to Skein Island. Fortunately, we have such a wonderful protagonist in Marianne that she doesn't go for any of that.
Marianne isn't prepared to be someone's motivation to be a hero, or his reward for stopping the villain. She knows that that kind of storytelling is, frankly, crap. Instead, she forges her own path, and not only becomes the hero of the story, but doesn't let David think that he was the hero at all.
In a lot of ways it feels like Skein Island is sticking its middle finger up at old fashioned storytelling tropes and saying that women don't have to just be props in men's stories, but have the power to tell their own powerful narratives themselves. Skein Island goes a little bit meta, and gets the reader thinking about the nature of stories and storytelling, and how they have evolved over time. Just like the real world stories need to change to reflect their times. The world is becoming more and more equal to people of all genders, and women shouldn't just be objects. The book challenges people to break away from that kind of storytelling and to expect more not just from their fiction, but their real lives too.
A wonderfully written and clever book that draws you in before dropping the floor out from beneath you. With unexpected twists and turns, a narrative driven by interesting and realistic characters, and a story that will get you thinking about the very art of storytelling itself, Skein Island is a book that's hard to compare with others, and is sure to keep you thinking long after you've finished reading.
More book reviews at
December 11, 2019
Skein Island is a fricking masterpiece.
Right now I’ve got that out of the way we can continue; so, Skein Island is the next novel from Aliya Whiteley, and it’s an old novel, which has been repurposed and republished by Titan Books and I for one am so very thankful that this has happened � I had no idea the novel had previously existed. It was originally published in 2015 by a small press called Dog Horn Press � I’m unsure of how successful Skein Island was at its original release, as I’d never heard of it and assumed when it arrived in the post that it was a completely new book.
But, with Titan Books bringing this forgotten and lost novel to light (including a new novelette written for this specific edition) it is finally in the light where it belongs � and I for one believe wholeheartedly that it deserves the wider acclaim a bigger publishing house can offer, coupled with Aliya Whiteley’s growing reputation as a masterful storyteller � it will have fans of her work clambering over one another to get another slice of her brilliance, and with the help of Titan Books, I firmly believe that it will expose Aliya Whiteley to a great number of new readers!
The novel follows the life of Marianne � we meet her within the first chapter working at a library, reading a personal invitation to Skein Island a place that since 1945 has been offering a private refuge for women. Giving them a chance to forget everything, forget what is needed of them, and what is expected of them � as women. Instead women invited to Skein Island are encouraged to spend their time focusing on their story, their lives without the pressures of society dictating to them what they need to be. Skein Island exists twelve miles off the coast of Devon (just the scope and the way Whiteley weaves this tale of mystery and suspense had me thinking of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None�). Visitors are also only allowed to venture onto the island by personal invitation only, they can only stay for a week and pay for their stay with a story from their past, adding their declaration to the Island’s ever growing library.
Aliya Whiteley is a masterful storyteller, there is no doubting that fact. No better place is this exemplified than with the opening chapter to Skein Island. It pulls you in like a passing train to a dangling coat flap, where it drags you off your feet and never lets up � Whiteley is the conductor of this train and there is no stopping this ghastly ride. The opening works so well because we are immediately thrown into the story (no exposition � just straight to the point), a strange invitation, a life spiralling out of control, a passenger in life’s journey. This urgency to Whiteley’s storytelling is aided with a violent and disgusting act being committed within the first few pages, it’s the unspeakable catalyst she never knew she needed to have a chance at change. Her husband following this harrowing event feels helpless and powerless, smothering her as she comes to terms with the things that have happened � she needs a way out, to escape this life, this husband, these reminders, her life � so Marianne heeds the invitation and sets off for Skein Island.
Whiteley delivers such a rich piece of storytelling, infused with horror, mythology and an astonishing poetic prose that make it impossible to look away from � it’s intoxicatingly beguiling and enraptures the heart, mind and soul. A deeply moving story, which I feel talks directly to the here and the now � showcasing to women that they are not just add on’s to mens lives and stories, they are more than mothers and wives, more than eye candy at the office and that their opinions don’t matter � Skein Island tells women that they have a story to tell, lives that they should live and battles they should fight. It’s brave writing, accomplished storytelling and makes for an earth shattering experience.
But, all of this would be nothing, if it wasn’t for Whiteley’s engaging and at times dark and brooding prose, which creeps over ever page like the haar from the sea, blanketing our experience of Skein Island with unease, dread and fear. From the subtle details of Skein Island itself, to the landscape and the intricate elements of the uncanny; Whiteley creates not only a fabulous novel, but an experience you can’t look away from. Delivering line after line of exquisite masterful prose � Skein Island is a juggernaut of a novel, from a voice that will undoubtedly shape a generation of readers and writers!
And Friedrich � that naked, beautiful body of his, thin and straight and golden in that bloodied light � was locked in a standing embrace with a woman I had never seen before, spilling his essence into her with intense concentration, as she sunk her fingers into his chest, broke his ribs with such ease and reached beyond, taking his lungs and pulling them out, stretching them, so that they formed great veined and patterned wings, undulating in the air, spreading out from his coupling like a butterfly on the brink of first, trembling flight.
He came to fulfilment, an expression of blind delight I recognised, and then dropped to his knees and fell backwards. The wings fell with him, splattering the rocks and earth. His head moved; he lived, for a time.
The Greek Mythology element that Whiteley weaves into this tale adds a fabulous sense of grandeur to an already arrestingly brilliant book. It grounds it in history, giving it a firm foundation to launch its assault on your mind. Skein Island feels more like a story that has been shared over a millennia, around campfires, from community to community, a fable handed down from generation to generation � a dark, stark and brooding warning of what is to come.
I don’t really want to delve too deeply into the story, it’s such a fast pace read that I feel if I bring all the darkness into the light, I’ll damage the impact of the book on the reader and lessen Whiteley’s brilliance on show � but I will tell you that something dark lurks at Skein Island, buried deep within the grounds, a statue that has an insatiable and constant hunger, and nothing tastes better than the written mournful declarations of its female inhabitants.
Aliya Whiteley has conjured a story that is steeped in mystery and mythology � a darkly disturbing and challenging read. Skein Island is savagely honest and sharply attuned to the perils and unspoken agony of our times. Whiteley writes like a force of nature and there is no stopping this coming storm!
Right now I’ve got that out of the way we can continue; so, Skein Island is the next novel from Aliya Whiteley, and it’s an old novel, which has been repurposed and republished by Titan Books and I for one am so very thankful that this has happened � I had no idea the novel had previously existed. It was originally published in 2015 by a small press called Dog Horn Press � I’m unsure of how successful Skein Island was at its original release, as I’d never heard of it and assumed when it arrived in the post that it was a completely new book.
But, with Titan Books bringing this forgotten and lost novel to light (including a new novelette written for this specific edition) it is finally in the light where it belongs � and I for one believe wholeheartedly that it deserves the wider acclaim a bigger publishing house can offer, coupled with Aliya Whiteley’s growing reputation as a masterful storyteller � it will have fans of her work clambering over one another to get another slice of her brilliance, and with the help of Titan Books, I firmly believe that it will expose Aliya Whiteley to a great number of new readers!
The novel follows the life of Marianne � we meet her within the first chapter working at a library, reading a personal invitation to Skein Island a place that since 1945 has been offering a private refuge for women. Giving them a chance to forget everything, forget what is needed of them, and what is expected of them � as women. Instead women invited to Skein Island are encouraged to spend their time focusing on their story, their lives without the pressures of society dictating to them what they need to be. Skein Island exists twelve miles off the coast of Devon (just the scope and the way Whiteley weaves this tale of mystery and suspense had me thinking of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None�). Visitors are also only allowed to venture onto the island by personal invitation only, they can only stay for a week and pay for their stay with a story from their past, adding their declaration to the Island’s ever growing library.
Aliya Whiteley is a masterful storyteller, there is no doubting that fact. No better place is this exemplified than with the opening chapter to Skein Island. It pulls you in like a passing train to a dangling coat flap, where it drags you off your feet and never lets up � Whiteley is the conductor of this train and there is no stopping this ghastly ride. The opening works so well because we are immediately thrown into the story (no exposition � just straight to the point), a strange invitation, a life spiralling out of control, a passenger in life’s journey. This urgency to Whiteley’s storytelling is aided with a violent and disgusting act being committed within the first few pages, it’s the unspeakable catalyst she never knew she needed to have a chance at change. Her husband following this harrowing event feels helpless and powerless, smothering her as she comes to terms with the things that have happened � she needs a way out, to escape this life, this husband, these reminders, her life � so Marianne heeds the invitation and sets off for Skein Island.
Whiteley delivers such a rich piece of storytelling, infused with horror, mythology and an astonishing poetic prose that make it impossible to look away from � it’s intoxicatingly beguiling and enraptures the heart, mind and soul. A deeply moving story, which I feel talks directly to the here and the now � showcasing to women that they are not just add on’s to mens lives and stories, they are more than mothers and wives, more than eye candy at the office and that their opinions don’t matter � Skein Island tells women that they have a story to tell, lives that they should live and battles they should fight. It’s brave writing, accomplished storytelling and makes for an earth shattering experience.
But, all of this would be nothing, if it wasn’t for Whiteley’s engaging and at times dark and brooding prose, which creeps over ever page like the haar from the sea, blanketing our experience of Skein Island with unease, dread and fear. From the subtle details of Skein Island itself, to the landscape and the intricate elements of the uncanny; Whiteley creates not only a fabulous novel, but an experience you can’t look away from. Delivering line after line of exquisite masterful prose � Skein Island is a juggernaut of a novel, from a voice that will undoubtedly shape a generation of readers and writers!
And Friedrich � that naked, beautiful body of his, thin and straight and golden in that bloodied light � was locked in a standing embrace with a woman I had never seen before, spilling his essence into her with intense concentration, as she sunk her fingers into his chest, broke his ribs with such ease and reached beyond, taking his lungs and pulling them out, stretching them, so that they formed great veined and patterned wings, undulating in the air, spreading out from his coupling like a butterfly on the brink of first, trembling flight.
He came to fulfilment, an expression of blind delight I recognised, and then dropped to his knees and fell backwards. The wings fell with him, splattering the rocks and earth. His head moved; he lived, for a time.
The Greek Mythology element that Whiteley weaves into this tale adds a fabulous sense of grandeur to an already arrestingly brilliant book. It grounds it in history, giving it a firm foundation to launch its assault on your mind. Skein Island feels more like a story that has been shared over a millennia, around campfires, from community to community, a fable handed down from generation to generation � a dark, stark and brooding warning of what is to come.
I don’t really want to delve too deeply into the story, it’s such a fast pace read that I feel if I bring all the darkness into the light, I’ll damage the impact of the book on the reader and lessen Whiteley’s brilliance on show � but I will tell you that something dark lurks at Skein Island, buried deep within the grounds, a statue that has an insatiable and constant hunger, and nothing tastes better than the written mournful declarations of its female inhabitants.
Aliya Whiteley has conjured a story that is steeped in mystery and mythology � a darkly disturbing and challenging read. Skein Island is savagely honest and sharply attuned to the perils and unspoken agony of our times. Whiteley writes like a force of nature and there is no stopping this coming storm!
August 18, 2022
**3/5 Stars**
Oh how I wanted to love this book! Aliya Whiteley's Skein Island had a powerful beginning, but the story got lost along the way. I kept reading until the very last page because the concepts of the book were interesting and captured my interest, but the book fell short of its premise.
What I liked about this book was the originality of the story. The story focuses on an island that is exclusively for women looking to change their lives. Access to the island is by invite only. If accepted, you must share the story of your life with a mysterious woman who is a keeper of the island's secrets. At first, the island and story seem fairly surface level: women seeking relief from the external world.
However, the story is much more complex than that. The island has a story of its own, one that is dark and macabre. We find that the universe of our characters is not the same as our own, which is part of the novel's several surprises.
I like the author's flair for throwing unexpected wrenches into the storyline, but at times it made the novel jarring and uneven. I found myself truly lost by the end of the novel because of these unusual elements - it's a shame because I think the author could have edited this and had a much stronger and more sensical ending.
At the end of the day, it is clear the author is a capable writer and this book shows a lot of promise. I definitely plan on reading another book by her.
For more of my book reviews visit me here:
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Oh how I wanted to love this book! Aliya Whiteley's Skein Island had a powerful beginning, but the story got lost along the way. I kept reading until the very last page because the concepts of the book were interesting and captured my interest, but the book fell short of its premise.
What I liked about this book was the originality of the story. The story focuses on an island that is exclusively for women looking to change their lives. Access to the island is by invite only. If accepted, you must share the story of your life with a mysterious woman who is a keeper of the island's secrets. At first, the island and story seem fairly surface level: women seeking relief from the external world.
However, the story is much more complex than that. The island has a story of its own, one that is dark and macabre. We find that the universe of our characters is not the same as our own, which is part of the novel's several surprises.
I like the author's flair for throwing unexpected wrenches into the storyline, but at times it made the novel jarring and uneven. I found myself truly lost by the end of the novel because of these unusual elements - it's a shame because I think the author could have edited this and had a much stronger and more sensical ending.
At the end of the day, it is clear the author is a capable writer and this book shows a lot of promise. I definitely plan on reading another book by her.
For more of my book reviews visit me here:
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April 26, 2020
One thing Aliya Whiteley is not is boring! Each book or novelette is completely unique and entertaining. She is a voice for women. Her books have underlying messages through her unique story telling. This one was no different. I would say so far Skein Island is my favorite book of her work. I will say I was waiting for a big piece in the end but that didn't happen. However, I think the way it ended was how it was meant to end. Skein Island focuses on a woman's individuality and not terms like mother, daughter, girlfriend, etc. Skein Island is just where you are YOU. If you are looking for a female writer that focuses on women equality then give this a read!
January 22, 2020
I'm grateful to Titan Books for a free copy of Skein Island to consider for review.
As a blogger it's easy to get a bit formulaic in your reviews. Plot précis. What the book meant to you. Some pithy quotes. A bit about the author's previous work and perhaps wider context. Summing up.
In the case of Skein Island, I can't do that and not just because - bad David! - I hadn't read any Whiteley before (that's something I'll have to fix). No. There's something about this book that is different. It's not that the plot is complex or difficult to engage with, or that the underlying themes are unclear - rather these are admirably laid out.
We meet Marianne, a librarian who's just suffered a traumatic act committed by a man - but who has also received an invitation to attend a week long retreat on an island community set aside for women. (An invitation from a dead woman, but let's leave that for now).
We also meet her husband, David. The story then follows both in the succeeding days as they adjust (differently) to what happened. Marianne, of course, has rather more to bear (it's not just what happened in the library that night, her mother disappeared seventeen years ago - after visiting that same island).
David is... rather annoying. (Can I take this chance to invent the hashtag #NotAllDavids ?) Clearly desiring to be supportive, or at least to play the role of somebody who is supportive, he seems to be subtly off key, not quite reading the situation right. He wants to make what happened about him, not Marianne. He should have protected her. Now, he should avenge her. He lurks outside the library, waiting for the suspect. David is casting himself as the hero in a story that isn't even about him. In this, he receives succour and support from the regulars who assemble nightly in The Cornerhouse, a dive pub where a strange game is played ('the cubes') that casts men in one of four roles - hero, villain, sidekick or sage.
As the story developed, I began to find Whiteley's description of David truly creepy. He seems to be on a voyage of discovery, but also to know what he's discovering. He falls into that hero role far too easily, too unquestioningly. He also seems to foster an unhealthy relationship very quickly with the female PCSO who's investigating what happened to Marianne. I think that given Marianne's absence, Sam may in his mind be taking the part of the woman who David has to "protect".
At a more thematic level there's an oddness about the whole setup , As I said, David isn't, shouldn't be the hero here but the story also gives him that role, it's as though there is an unfilled space, an empty niche, in the structure that simply won't be denied. I think that Whiteley's being very clever with this, she seems to be saying, look - this is what men do, but also - even when I'm writing a book about women, they still do it. In a sense I think that what's being shown up here isn't only the world as we find it but also the very narrative conventions that tell us how stories about the world must be written (and which therefore tell us how we will find it).
Enough of David!
While all that is going on, Marianne is also discovering a great deal of strangeness on Skein Island, that women-only community (the name itself an allusion to spinning and weaving, crafts often seen as embodying the unwinding of fate fate and, of course, as women's work). I enjoyed the scenes describing her - and the other women's - arrival there, recalling Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None - another book in which a hidden hand is directing choices and imposing a narrative. I also enjoyed discovering the inhabitants of the island - Inger, Vanessa, Kay, Rebecca. Whiteley observes closely how they react and work together, or don't - the rational Rebecca, who Marianne doesn't like much but who will come to act as her anchor, Inger who - like the men in The Cornerhouse - feels an urge to be a rescuer but who doesn't - unlike them - allow that to define her life.
During the part of the narrative we begin to learn a little about what's really happening, about what is guiding this drive to narrative and its implications for both men and women. That is important knowledge, as the world begins to spiral out of control due to all those men acting out their roles. it is knowledge that may allow things to be fixed - but that has to be done by a woman, and how can that be achieved in the face of all the self dramatising would-be heroes?
The form of the narrative throughout is very tightly bound with the themes being discussed. Its impossible to separate the underlying motivation of this book - which I think is the tendency of men to appropriate and redefine women's experience - from the fact that it is, indeed, a book, a story, a narrative so in a sense everyone here is playing a role set out for them by the author. Combined with the idea of a very active Fate shaping and snipping at destinies, all this gives the reader a lot of material for thought - though it does not weigh down what is a tightly plotted, absorbing narrative inhabited by sharp drawn, engaging characters.
As a coda to the main story there is a short story too, The Cold Smoke Declaration, taking place in the same world but some time after the main events. The themes are slightly different - it is more a ghost story than the main one which is more fantasy or folk horror - but the observation, the characterisation and the sharpness of the plot are equally good.
As a blogger it's easy to get a bit formulaic in your reviews. Plot précis. What the book meant to you. Some pithy quotes. A bit about the author's previous work and perhaps wider context. Summing up.
In the case of Skein Island, I can't do that and not just because - bad David! - I hadn't read any Whiteley before (that's something I'll have to fix). No. There's something about this book that is different. It's not that the plot is complex or difficult to engage with, or that the underlying themes are unclear - rather these are admirably laid out.
We meet Marianne, a librarian who's just suffered a traumatic act committed by a man - but who has also received an invitation to attend a week long retreat on an island community set aside for women. (An invitation from a dead woman, but let's leave that for now).
We also meet her husband, David. The story then follows both in the succeeding days as they adjust (differently) to what happened. Marianne, of course, has rather more to bear (it's not just what happened in the library that night, her mother disappeared seventeen years ago - after visiting that same island).
David is... rather annoying. (Can I take this chance to invent the hashtag #NotAllDavids ?) Clearly desiring to be supportive, or at least to play the role of somebody who is supportive, he seems to be subtly off key, not quite reading the situation right. He wants to make what happened about him, not Marianne. He should have protected her. Now, he should avenge her. He lurks outside the library, waiting for the suspect. David is casting himself as the hero in a story that isn't even about him. In this, he receives succour and support from the regulars who assemble nightly in The Cornerhouse, a dive pub where a strange game is played ('the cubes') that casts men in one of four roles - hero, villain, sidekick or sage.
As the story developed, I began to find Whiteley's description of David truly creepy. He seems to be on a voyage of discovery, but also to know what he's discovering. He falls into that hero role far too easily, too unquestioningly. He also seems to foster an unhealthy relationship very quickly with the female PCSO who's investigating what happened to Marianne. I think that given Marianne's absence, Sam may in his mind be taking the part of the woman who David has to "protect".
At a more thematic level there's an oddness about the whole setup , As I said, David isn't, shouldn't be the hero here but the story also gives him that role, it's as though there is an unfilled space, an empty niche, in the structure that simply won't be denied. I think that Whiteley's being very clever with this, she seems to be saying, look - this is what men do, but also - even when I'm writing a book about women, they still do it. In a sense I think that what's being shown up here isn't only the world as we find it but also the very narrative conventions that tell us how stories about the world must be written (and which therefore tell us how we will find it).
Enough of David!
While all that is going on, Marianne is also discovering a great deal of strangeness on Skein Island, that women-only community (the name itself an allusion to spinning and weaving, crafts often seen as embodying the unwinding of fate fate and, of course, as women's work). I enjoyed the scenes describing her - and the other women's - arrival there, recalling Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None - another book in which a hidden hand is directing choices and imposing a narrative. I also enjoyed discovering the inhabitants of the island - Inger, Vanessa, Kay, Rebecca. Whiteley observes closely how they react and work together, or don't - the rational Rebecca, who Marianne doesn't like much but who will come to act as her anchor, Inger who - like the men in The Cornerhouse - feels an urge to be a rescuer but who doesn't - unlike them - allow that to define her life.
During the part of the narrative we begin to learn a little about what's really happening, about what is guiding this drive to narrative and its implications for both men and women. That is important knowledge, as the world begins to spiral out of control due to all those men acting out their roles. it is knowledge that may allow things to be fixed - but that has to be done by a woman, and how can that be achieved in the face of all the self dramatising would-be heroes?
The form of the narrative throughout is very tightly bound with the themes being discussed. Its impossible to separate the underlying motivation of this book - which I think is the tendency of men to appropriate and redefine women's experience - from the fact that it is, indeed, a book, a story, a narrative so in a sense everyone here is playing a role set out for them by the author. Combined with the idea of a very active Fate shaping and snipping at destinies, all this gives the reader a lot of material for thought - though it does not weigh down what is a tightly plotted, absorbing narrative inhabited by sharp drawn, engaging characters.
As a coda to the main story there is a short story too, The Cold Smoke Declaration, taking place in the same world but some time after the main events. The themes are slightly different - it is more a ghost story than the main one which is more fantasy or folk horror - but the observation, the characterisation and the sharpness of the plot are equally good.
November 30, 2019
‘Skein Island� has a fantastic premise - an isolated island retreat, only open to woman for a single stay of one week, with a single requirement:
leave behind a ‘declaration�, a story of who you were or are. Marianne receives an invitation to stay on the island, despite not applying, and leaves everything behind in the hope of discovering more information about the mother who left for Skein years before, and never came back home.
Unfortunately, I found the execution of this promising premise clumsy and frustrating. Part of the problem was that the length did not match the ambitious number of plot strands - events moved at a breakneck speed, preventing me from ever feeling engaged with the story or the issues the characters faced. There were far-too-convenient info dumps, which just seemed lazy, and yet, ironically, nothing was ever fully explained, and certain parts made no sense at all. It is difficult to go into any more detail without including spoilers, but at least three times I was left staring at the page, wondering how the author had reconciled obvious inconsistencies, and how the reader was expected to believe that characters would so readily and immediately believe the outlandish information placed in front of them without question.
I gave this book one and a half starts, rounded up to two stars instead of down to one because, despite all the issues I have with it, it was ultimately readable. However, I would not particularly recommend.
leave behind a ‘declaration�, a story of who you were or are. Marianne receives an invitation to stay on the island, despite not applying, and leaves everything behind in the hope of discovering more information about the mother who left for Skein years before, and never came back home.
Unfortunately, I found the execution of this promising premise clumsy and frustrating. Part of the problem was that the length did not match the ambitious number of plot strands - events moved at a breakneck speed, preventing me from ever feeling engaged with the story or the issues the characters faced. There were far-too-convenient info dumps, which just seemed lazy, and yet, ironically, nothing was ever fully explained, and certain parts made no sense at all. It is difficult to go into any more detail without including spoilers, but at least three times I was left staring at the page, wondering how the author had reconciled obvious inconsistencies, and how the reader was expected to believe that characters would so readily and immediately believe the outlandish information placed in front of them without question.
I gave this book one and a half starts, rounded up to two stars instead of down to one because, despite all the issues I have with it, it was ultimately readable. However, I would not particularly recommend.
November 22, 2020
Ooooh 4 or 5 stars? I can't decide!
June 25, 2023
I fascinating blend of myth, sexual politics, and the mundane. Beautiful prose and some genuinely shocking moments. A brilliant writer and a unique voice.
March 3, 2025
I absolutely loved it. However, the ending was a bit underwhelming and felt too rushed ...
November 26, 2019
I am sure I will do a horrendous job of explaining why I gave this five stars, so there is that to know. I will likely go on about things that I thought while reading this book, and things I am thinking now, and probably things I have thought about for a long time before I even heard of this book. Honestly, this book was hard to read. Hard to read for its prose styling, for one. I love Whiteley's writing, but this jumped around a lot and threw in a lot of dialogue for the thinking bits, and I tend to dislike dialogue AND dislike when someone is talking the thinking bits. Follow? But it is also hard to read for the topics it addresses. And there are a lot of them. Lots. Many. A multitude. I might suggest too many. Still, Whiteley is fucking smart and amazing, so they are all done rather too well. Which was awesome, but holycow, heavy duty prose. Issues. Wow.
An aside: While I was reading this my wife was playing a music video of a woman praising a dildo over a penis/cock/dick/man. I will let you fill in easy to imagine details. What it made me think, because I am serious and don't tend to enjoy making light of relationship/sexual issues, is that men and women don't communicate effectively. Maybe we never have and never will. A dildo is better than a penis because it does what you want, when you want it, how you want it? Huh. It just made me think, and I'll leave this off now.
I found it intriguing, telling maybe for this book?, that a quote by a male about men was used.
Most literary epics all male-driven, male written. Ugh. The women, females, girls, are just objects, prizes, monsters, possessions. Sadly, horribly, we in the real world still live in that fictional world. Yeah, some "guys" are tired of hearing about The Patriarchy and Feminism and Reproductive Rights. Well, assholes, if you hadn't spent the last several thousand years telling women what to do, think, feel, and say maybe, just maybe, you could feel slightly less like an asshole when you hear those words. Maybe. Hell, this world is hell, if you ask me. The perpetrators of the Big Evils - sexism and racism - feel attacked by the people they are destroying. How awful. "I didn't have slaves!", "My ancestors didn't have slaves!", "I'm not a rapist", "I treat women as equals". Hmm, so how in the absolute fuck did we end up with this world we have now? Huh?
I told you this book was tough to read.
One of the lines reads something to the effect, and I have head men say this, "who will protect us/them (women) when equality is attained?". Think about that, and what it means not only for someone to ask that, but what is says about a culture that needs to ask? See, the assumption is this: Equality. Plus men still being assholes and treating women like garbage. But no one to protect the women because men don't protect women from being treated like garbage because Equality. Huh? See how fucked up that is? It's just a male version of equality. Men are saying we "protect" you in our current Non-Equality system because we control you and your body, and that is the reward for our "protection", you needing to be "protected" because the idea women are objects is part of the Non-Equality system we promote. If we let you get Equality, then you lose our "protection", you're "on your own". Huh? Equality means NOT harassing, assaulting, and raping women, guys. Not doing the asshole stuff. NOT DOING IT. Equality doesn't mean you keep your strangleholds AND tell women they should hav ekept the old system. Nope. It's the same dumbass argument white people use fo "getting over slavery" by claiming "we live in a post-racial society". No we absolutely fucking do not. Anyway. I am off track, though you were warned early on, right?
This book is so spectacular in how it makes you think about relationships and what we might do, unfettered by existing social stigmas and constraints. I won't say I agreed with some of the characters actions, but I can admit that often I do what I do because of what others might think, instead of doing what I feel like doing, what I want to do. Desire. Lust. Violence. Anger. Frustration. Release. This book runs though it all. Love means different things to everyone, and often our relationships and actions are circumscribed by how we think about love, missing the fact that what we think/feel isn't wrong (or right), just our own. Someone else likely see things similarly, but similar is not the same. And when you get into complexities, similar and same get rather muddled and far apart, quickly.
OK, this review is well off the rails, somewhere crumpled in the scree, trackside. I'll just stop and dust myself off and get it over with.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a difficult, complicated, smart-as-fuck, weighty, annoying, unseemly, and unreservedly spectacular read. Aliya Whiteley is a gifted writer. Period.
An aside: While I was reading this my wife was playing a music video of a woman praising a dildo over a penis/cock/dick/man. I will let you fill in easy to imagine details. What it made me think, because I am serious and don't tend to enjoy making light of relationship/sexual issues, is that men and women don't communicate effectively. Maybe we never have and never will. A dildo is better than a penis because it does what you want, when you want it, how you want it? Huh. It just made me think, and I'll leave this off now.
I found it intriguing, telling maybe for this book?, that a quote by a male about men was used.
Most literary epics all male-driven, male written. Ugh. The women, females, girls, are just objects, prizes, monsters, possessions. Sadly, horribly, we in the real world still live in that fictional world. Yeah, some "guys" are tired of hearing about The Patriarchy and Feminism and Reproductive Rights. Well, assholes, if you hadn't spent the last several thousand years telling women what to do, think, feel, and say maybe, just maybe, you could feel slightly less like an asshole when you hear those words. Maybe. Hell, this world is hell, if you ask me. The perpetrators of the Big Evils - sexism and racism - feel attacked by the people they are destroying. How awful. "I didn't have slaves!", "My ancestors didn't have slaves!", "I'm not a rapist", "I treat women as equals". Hmm, so how in the absolute fuck did we end up with this world we have now? Huh?
I told you this book was tough to read.
One of the lines reads something to the effect, and I have head men say this, "who will protect us/them (women) when equality is attained?". Think about that, and what it means not only for someone to ask that, but what is says about a culture that needs to ask? See, the assumption is this: Equality. Plus men still being assholes and treating women like garbage. But no one to protect the women because men don't protect women from being treated like garbage because Equality. Huh? See how fucked up that is? It's just a male version of equality. Men are saying we "protect" you in our current Non-Equality system because we control you and your body, and that is the reward for our "protection", you needing to be "protected" because the idea women are objects is part of the Non-Equality system we promote. If we let you get Equality, then you lose our "protection", you're "on your own". Huh? Equality means NOT harassing, assaulting, and raping women, guys. Not doing the asshole stuff. NOT DOING IT. Equality doesn't mean you keep your strangleholds AND tell women they should hav ekept the old system. Nope. It's the same dumbass argument white people use fo "getting over slavery" by claiming "we live in a post-racial society". No we absolutely fucking do not. Anyway. I am off track, though you were warned early on, right?
This book is so spectacular in how it makes you think about relationships and what we might do, unfettered by existing social stigmas and constraints. I won't say I agreed with some of the characters actions, but I can admit that often I do what I do because of what others might think, instead of doing what I feel like doing, what I want to do. Desire. Lust. Violence. Anger. Frustration. Release. This book runs though it all. Love means different things to everyone, and often our relationships and actions are circumscribed by how we think about love, missing the fact that what we think/feel isn't wrong (or right), just our own. Someone else likely see things similarly, but similar is not the same. And when you get into complexities, similar and same get rather muddled and far apart, quickly.
OK, this review is well off the rails, somewhere crumpled in the scree, trackside. I'll just stop and dust myself off and get it over with.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a difficult, complicated, smart-as-fuck, weighty, annoying, unseemly, and unreservedly spectacular read. Aliya Whiteley is a gifted writer. Period.
June 26, 2020
Skein Island, an island retreat just for women, to spend a week there and leave behind a declaration of who you are. When Marianne goes after she’s assaulted, leaving behind her husband, she goes with the intention of learning her mysterious invitation to the island, and the declaration left behind there by her mother who left years ago and never returned. What Marianne finds is a statue that affects women and men everywhere.
The premise for Skein Island sounded so fascinating. Anything with even a hint of mythology behind it usually keeps my interest, and the mysterious statue and events on the strange island seemed right up my alley. Yet, I struggled to stay interested. Rather than an exciting story filled with mystery and the effects of the fates, I found myself plodding through a pretentious story that took too long to draw me in.
I don’t know if it’s that Whiteley’s writing just didn’t work for me, or whether it was a mood thing. Looking through other reviews, this seems like a really well loved book. Based on the premise, it should be. But it felt overdone, and far too long. Each new part of the book lost my interest a little bit more, even as each new part picked up the pace and threw the story for a loop. Part three especially takes on a turn on the effects of fate, especially on the men of the world, and was definitely the most mythological based section, yet I couldn’t wait for the story to end.
Knowing I’m in the minority here, I encourage others to read it if they have any interest in mysterious stories, hints of mythology, or how the fates can change, because I know many readers will get a lot of enjoyment from this one. But for me, it fell a bit flat and I am sad about that because I wanted to love it.
The premise for Skein Island sounded so fascinating. Anything with even a hint of mythology behind it usually keeps my interest, and the mysterious statue and events on the strange island seemed right up my alley. Yet, I struggled to stay interested. Rather than an exciting story filled with mystery and the effects of the fates, I found myself plodding through a pretentious story that took too long to draw me in.
I don’t know if it’s that Whiteley’s writing just didn’t work for me, or whether it was a mood thing. Looking through other reviews, this seems like a really well loved book. Based on the premise, it should be. But it felt overdone, and far too long. Each new part of the book lost my interest a little bit more, even as each new part picked up the pace and threw the story for a loop. Part three especially takes on a turn on the effects of fate, especially on the men of the world, and was definitely the most mythological based section, yet I couldn’t wait for the story to end.
Knowing I’m in the minority here, I encourage others to read it if they have any interest in mysterious stories, hints of mythology, or how the fates can change, because I know many readers will get a lot of enjoyment from this one. But for me, it fell a bit flat and I am sad about that because I wanted to love it.
November 13, 2019
'Every woman deserves at least a few chapters of her own in the story of her life.'
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Skein Island is a women's retreat located just off the coast of Devon. Each woman must pay for her stay with a story from her past. Marianne gets an invitation from a woman who is long dead and feels the need to investigate. She is unaware what the stories are used for until it is too late😯
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It's really hard to put this book into words, I'll start off by saying, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It is weird and somewhat wonderful in parts. Nobody can say Whiteley's prose isn't fascinating and beautifully executed. I just think the feminist aspect of this one fell a bit flat for me. I could see what she was trying to do but it somehow became all about the men. You really have to suspend your belief for this one, there is abit of mythology, some magic water that makes you hallucinate, and a moving statue. If you're a fan of the weird and wonderful, this one is probably right up your street😁
.
Thank you to @titanbooks for inviting me onto this tour🧡 This one is out already, so if you're interested you can grab a copy now!
.
Skein Island is a women's retreat located just off the coast of Devon. Each woman must pay for her stay with a story from her past. Marianne gets an invitation from a woman who is long dead and feels the need to investigate. She is unaware what the stories are used for until it is too late😯
.
It's really hard to put this book into words, I'll start off by saying, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It is weird and somewhat wonderful in parts. Nobody can say Whiteley's prose isn't fascinating and beautifully executed. I just think the feminist aspect of this one fell a bit flat for me. I could see what she was trying to do but it somehow became all about the men. You really have to suspend your belief for this one, there is abit of mythology, some magic water that makes you hallucinate, and a moving statue. If you're a fan of the weird and wonderful, this one is probably right up your street😁
.
Thank you to @titanbooks for inviting me onto this tour🧡 This one is out already, so if you're interested you can grab a copy now!
December 12, 2022
Another really excellent novella by Aliya Whitely. I think this would make a great pairing with as both are fantastical explorations of female friendship. The novella takes place on Skein Island, a mysterious island that hosts retreats for seven women for seven days at a time. The main character receives an invitation to the island for a retreat that she never applied for and retraces the footsteps of her mother who vanished from her life after going on a retreat there herself. Whiteley excels at combining a number of genres and tones together. Her world feels solidly real and much like our own which makes the explosions of violence and magic more shocking. The beauty of Whitely's prose and the unheimlich world that she creates is extremely satisfying.
February 2, 2020
I adore Aliya Whiteley and her strange stories. This book is very different than the Beauty, which still haunts me in all the best ways, popping into my brain at random moments. But I had trouble connecting to the characters of Skein Island and found myself rushing to the end of the book. (Shouldn’t we have gotten more of Sam? Her character was so disjointed!)
I would have preferred for the whole story to have centered around Moira and the island (or the mythology and Marianne) without the David and Sam relationship or Maggie and the bar. (Or to have included more about the library itself. Maybe that’s too on the nose?)
That said, I’ll read anything Whitely writes and will eagerly gobble up her next novel.
I would have preferred for the whole story to have centered around Moira and the island (or the mythology and Marianne) without the David and Sam relationship or Maggie and the bar. (Or to have included more about the library itself. Maybe that’s too on the nose?)
That said, I’ll read anything Whitely writes and will eagerly gobble up her next novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2020
The blurb talks about an island which is a private refuge for women, secrets from WW2, Ancient Greek myths, heroes and villains. Unfortunately this was the best part of the book; the actual story itself was grotesque pretentious twaddle about the roles of men and women, with a supposed layer of menace, chill and confusion. The addition of an entirely pointless novelette at the end dragged the story down further. I had no interest in any of the characters and from the way they are described in the book neither did the author. The plot - such as it is - was threadbare, relying on the generosity of the reader to nod sagely, say “ohhhhhkay� and move on.
If there’s one book you don’t read this year, make sure it’s this one.
If there’s one book you don’t read this year, make sure it’s this one.
November 15, 2019
The way she describes emotions and thoughts of the characters is unlike any I’ve read before and reading it from the characters� point of view really makes it visceral and just really powerful.
I’m a lover of history and seeing it incorporated in this book the way it was was so enjoyable to read
I highly recommend this book, it’s really one that makes you think which is something that I really want to read in more books going forward with the different types books I choose to read, rather than sticking to one genre/type. Skein Island came out last week and you should go get yourself a copy!
I’m a lover of history and seeing it incorporated in this book the way it was was so enjoyable to read
I highly recommend this book, it’s really one that makes you think which is something that I really want to read in more books going forward with the different types books I choose to read, rather than sticking to one genre/type. Skein Island came out last week and you should go get yourself a copy!
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