Natasha Calder’s debut opens with a slippery declaration: “As far as I’m concerned, it begins like this.” We’re immediately immersed in Kit’s consciousness – her strange, febrile voice sweeps the story along in mysterious pulses and beats. The unreliable narrator trope is in full force here.
Kit lives with Crevan in a castle on an abandoned island. It’s clear that they rely on one another for survival, and that they are sheltering from unrest in the wider world. The island is, fortunately, stocked with supplies, including food and clothes. There’s also a vast cedar cupboard; Kit must never open Crevan’s side, which contains a secret. Kit and Crevan have an intense, symbiotic relationship, which at times seems romantic, at others parental.
