Synopsis
'Spellbinding . . . I could not put The Swell down' Anya Bergman
'A deeply satisfying, deftly woven novel of female power and resistance' Anna Hope
'Bewitching . . . as beautiful as it is haunting' Freya Berry
'Addictive and twisty' Liza Klaussman
'Gripping, bewitching and laced with atmosphere' Harriet Constable
'Atmospheric . . . Kat Gordon is a master storyteller' Cathryn Kemp
IN PLACES OF DARKNESS, WOMEN WILL RISE . . .
Iceland, 1910. In the middle of a severe storm two sisters - Freyja and Gudrún - rescue a mysterious, charismatic man from a shipwreck near their remote farm.
Sixty-five years later, a young woman - Sigga - is spending time with her grandmother when they learn a body has been discovered on a mountainside near Reykjavik, perfectly preserved in ice.
Moving between the turn of the 20th century and the 1970s as a dark mystery is unravelled, The Swell is a spellbinding, beautifully atmospheric read, rich in Icelandic myth.
'A deeply satisfying, deftly woven novel of female power and resistance' Anna Hope
'Bewitching . . . as beautiful as it is haunting' Freya Berry
'Addictive and twisty' Liza Klaussman
'Gripping, bewitching and laced with atmosphere' Harriet Constable
'Atmospheric . . . Kat Gordon is a master storyteller' Cathryn Kemp
IN PLACES OF DARKNESS, WOMEN WILL RISE . . .
Iceland, 1910. In the middle of a severe storm two sisters - Freyja and Gudrún - rescue a mysterious, charismatic man from a shipwreck near their remote farm.
Sixty-five years later, a young woman - Sigga - is spending time with her grandmother when they learn a body has been discovered on a mountainside near Reykjavik, perfectly preserved in ice.
Moving between the turn of the 20th century and the 1970s as a dark mystery is unravelled, The Swell is a spellbinding, beautifully atmospheric read, rich in Icelandic myth.
Details
22 January 2026
9781786585110Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
A deeply satisfying, deftly woven novel of female power and resistance, and of feminisms both implicit and explicit. Early and late 20th century Iceland are both beautifully evoked in Kat Gordon's rich, captivating prose. Highly recommended.
Thoroughly bewitching. Kat Gordon's spare prose is as beautiful as it is haunting.
In beautiful, crisp prose The Swell examines the saga of one family and the often complicated role of the women within it. An addictive and twisty read.
Gripping, bewitching, and laced with atmosphere, reading The Swell was a wonderfully sensory experience.
