by Nell Stevens
Paperback, £9.99
If I had to condense my review of this book into three words, I would describe it as full of life, which is ironic, as the narrator is a ghost who has been dead for centuries. However, this ghost – Blanca – watches and involves herself in the stories of so many living characters that it feels as though she is part of many lives, even after her death.
Blanca’s story is interwoven with that of two lovers, novelist George Sand and composer Frederic Chopin, who have travelled to Mallorca with Sand’s two children and servant girl. The characters of George Sand and Chopin are based on the real historical figures, who did indeed travel to Mallorca in 1838. The family is watched with suspicion by the wary locals from the outset, and their trip, which was intended to restore the unwell Chopin to full health, does not go as planned. It doesn’t help their case that they don’t conform to gender norms – George Sand is a decisive and assertive woman who only wears men’s clothes and is clearly the head of the family, while Chopin (who isn’t even Sand’s husband) is delicate and feminine, and too unwell to support those around him.
Stevens’ writing is packed with vivid imagery and I enjoyed visualising the settings: the market stalls in the village of Valldemossa, the old Charterhouse on the hill where monks used to live, and the coast and cliffs of Mallorca. We also dive into the memories of most of the characters, featuring scenes in Paris and Sand’s country house outside the city. Stevens explores so many themes – family life, queerness, love, pain – it’s impressive how much she packs into the novel.
Read if you like magical realism, queer ghosts, and thinking about life and death.
Review by Jamie