The Island at the Edge of Night

From the intriguing, atmospheric prologue to its dramatic denouement, this uncanny story grips and intrigues. Strange builds up suspense from the start as troubled teen Faye is uprooted from her home and banished to a sinister school on an eerie Scottish island.

With dark, twisted secrets coiled at the heart of the plot, the reader compulsively hunts for clues as short, punchy chapters deliciously unwind to build up the tension. Nature loving, selectively mute Faye has been denounced as ‘a wicked child’ but what is she guilty of? Haunted by disturbing flashbacks, can she trust the dubious Dr Lighter, his intimidating wife Nurse Violet or the taciturn skipper Maddox to unlock her past? As the story unfolds, she learns of the existence of other inhabitants like the indomitable Boudicca and conjectures as to why they are there too.

Although there are no trees on Auk Island, Faye feels irresistibly drawn to a mountain known as The Knife. Escalating events inspire her to turn detective as she thinks about who she is, remembers happier times spent with her botanist father and becomes determined to unravel the strange happenings at night and the truth about the mysterious visitors to the old Abbey.

Strange structures her narrative in three parts punctuated by extracts from a curious pamphlet entitled Mysteries of our Ancient Forest, setting her tale in the early twentieth century at a time when the world marvelled at new scientific discoveries. While examining the psychological damage caused by shellshock and trauma, she teases the reader with fragments of Faye’s recall. Playing with anagrams and symbolism throughout, she masters the magic of anticipation.

With an ethereal energy inspired by childhood memories of wandering with her dad among the fairy pools overshadowed by the Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye, Lucy’s storyline embraces themes of biodiversity, conservation, courage, self-belief, friendship and love. Evocative and startling, this eco adventure shrouded in gothic trappings, with some echoes of Enid Blyton and faery folklore, will appeal to fans of mystery and imagination.