Synopsis
'A page-turning mystery. Spellbinding' Anya Bergman
'Captivating. A deeply satisfying, deftly woven novel of female power and resistance' Anna Hope
'Addictive and twisty' Liza Klaussman
Two sisters. A shipwreck. A story demanding to be told . . .
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.
'Captivating. A deeply satisfying, deftly woven novel of female power and resistance' Anna Hope
'Addictive and twisty' Liza Klaussman
Two sisters. A shipwreck. A story demanding to be told . . .
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
Spellbinding. Entranced by dark, icy, mythical Iceland and captivated by two generations of women and their struggle for agency, I could not put The Swell down. Evocative and heartbreaking, this is a story of sisterhood, with a page-turning mystery at the heart of the novel.
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.
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.
Spellbinding. I could not put The Swell down. Evocative and heartbreaking, this is a story of sisterhood, with a page-turning mystery at the heart of the novel.
