Beyond Selidor

I've spent most of today gardening, reading (I'm about midway through Rustick Exile by L.A. Hall, and am very much enjoying this series — a gentle, rambling slice-of-life piece of historical fiction, as if the characters from the TV show Harlots kept a journal, and had a much happier time than they do in the show!), and sleeping. It's one of those days where the more I rest, the more tired I feel — thankfully I'm still on holiday, with nothing more demanding to do than the need to cook dinner in the next half hour.

Today's book meme prompt asks for:

6. A book where you were dubious about the premise but loved the work



This took me a while to think of. Over the years, I've developed a strong sense of what I do and don't look for in fiction, to the point that I can generally tell, by the author or the described premise or who in my various social circles is recommending it whether I will or won't like a book. And since all my reading is now done as a hobby, for pleasure, I see no reason to waste time on books whose premise doesn't hold much appeal. So it's a rare book indeed that will get me to take the risk (and generally my judgement of my own tastes is sound).

The only book I could think of that fit this prompt was one I read more than two years ago: Hild by Nicola Griffith. The reason I was dubious is that it is historical fiction set in medieval Britain, and, as a former medievalist, I tend to avoid this kind of thing like the plague. (My PhD was on medieval Irish literature, studied in a department that covered the history, literature, languages and material culture of medieval Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia, so it's basically these regions and time periods that I avoid — historical fiction set in other regions during medieval times is fine.) My review of the book from when I read it even begins listing these exact qualms; I've been fairly consistent in avoiding that kind of story.

However, this was one case where it was worth me pushing past my dubious feelings: the book is amazing. My thoughts from my review still stand:

Ever since her birth, Hild’s mother has encouraged an air of supernatural power around her daughter, creating a legend that turns Hild into a seer who can predict the future, and it’s this visionary role that allows her to speak freely in contexts where women’s voices would normally be unwelcome, hiding her political manoeuvring in a cloud of prophetic symbolism. The problem with being a prophet is that people expect your predictions to come true, which is an additional weight on Hild’s shoulders. [...]

Where Griffith really succeeds is in her depiction of women’s lives — particularly the parts of those lives that happen out of the view of men. Hild abounds with such scenes: women discussing pregnancy, abortion and childbirth in whispers in a bedroom, women spinning and weaving in a corner of the hall, women out herding animals, women subtly directing the political events of their day. It’s a particular breath of fresh air to see the smaller, quieter moments treated with as much seriousness and granted as much importance as the sorts of things that are normally perceived to have had real historical impact. Thus, a small girl wearing heavy, ornate jewellery and carrying a cup of mead around the hall is shown to have as much, if not more, political significance as a battle, and is carried out with a similar level of tactical planning.

I highly recommend this book!


7. The most imaginative book you've seen lately

8. A book that feels like it was written just for you

9. A book that reminds you of someone

10. A book that belongs to a specific time in your mind, caught in amber

11. A book that came to you at exactly the right time

12. A book that came to you at the wrong time

13. A book with a premise you'd never seen before quite like that

14. A book balanced on a knife edge

15. A snuffed candle of a book

16. The one you'd take with you while you were being ferried on dark underground rivers

17. The one that taught you something about yourself

18. A book that went after its premise like an explosion

19. A book that started a pilgrimage

20. A frigid ice bath of a book

21. A book written into your psyche

22. A warm blanket of a book

23. A book that made you bleed

24. A book that asked a question you've never had an answer to

25. A book that answered a question you never asked

26. A book you recommend but cannot love

27. A book you love but cannot recommend

28. A book you adore that people are surprised by

29. A book that led you home

30. A book you detest that people are surprised by