Overview

Alda, a logically minded seismologist has always been sceptical of her mother Fríða's belief in the strange Icelandic phenomena known as Huldufólk (Hidden People). But when the aging Fríða mysteriously disappears from her nursing home and sets off across country to save the Huldufólk from a threat to their homes, it is the start of an extraordinary journey for both women. Alda confronts her own demons and Fríða finally helps to uncover the truth of the mysterious events that led up to the death of her father six decades earlier. Through their journeys, and an imminent disaster on Black Beach, the two women come together with a more profound understanding of each other and themselves, proving the resilience and tenacity of the mother/daughter relationship against all odds. Black Beach was informed in part by renowned Huldufólk seer and environmentalist Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir. Ragnhildur has given her full endorsement of the book - ""This is the first time ever I have read a story about connection between the worlds, so real, so alive and so true. I love how it brings together the world of the ""know it all"" and the world of those who are always questioned, not believed and ridiculed. What a treat to read this story."" Ragnhildur is the subject of current award winning realist documentary The Seer and the Unseen, directed by Sara Dosa.

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9781527255869

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Reviews

'I so love this novel. Black Beach not only has everything you want in a story, a storyline which keeps you reading until it is finished, and characters so real, you feel like you know them and the changing world they live in. But also what I love the most; the story shows friendship between the worlds in a real way. A friendship between humans and huldufolk in a way that has been real for many through the centuries but is often misunderstood or ridiculed. In Black Beach however this friendship is portrayed with depth and realism, a story of true friendship, no matter the dimension or specie. Olivia Rana completely understands this friendship and connection between the worlds, and knows how to show us readers in a way that touches us deeply, so you sit up all night reading and after the book is finished, you really want more. Thank you for this beautiful novel. Ragnhildur Ragga Jonsdottir, seer and a friend of elves and huldufolk, Iceland.

Author Information

Olivia Rana has a Masters of Art in Creative Writing from Queen's University, Belfast. She has achieved success in several short story competitions, including the Mitchelstown International Short Story Competition, Fish International Short Story Prize, and the Bristol Short Story Award. She has had several short stories and non-fiction articles published both online and in magazine publications and she is a contributor to writing.ie, an online magazine site for writers and readers. Olivia is a member of Women Aloud NI, a collective of female writers from across NI, through which she participates in literary events across Ireland. She has also been involved with the Fighting Words programme, a series of creative writing workshops for children and young people in Northern Ireland and has taught a novel-writing course at Queen's University, Belfast. Olivia Rana lives in Belfast with her husband and two children. She is currently working on her third novel.

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