The Billow Maiden by James Dixon

Book Summary

Ailsa's mum is ill, not the first time, so they spend the summer with her aunt and uncle. Aunt Bertha, Uncle Nod and their dog Moxie live on an island off the coast, by a beautiful fishing village surrounded by beaches and clifftops. Ailsa and Moxie spend their whole time there exploring these beaches and cliffs, until one day they find a hidden cave. Inside the cave, they find Hefring, a strange woman not keen on strangers.

Ailsa slowly gets to know who Hefring is. She is a selkie, a mermaid, a billow maiden from ancient myth. However, she is stuck on land and slowly dying. It is up to Ailsa and her new friend Camilla to save her, but there are plenty of obstacles in the way - not least Ailsa's own fears and her mum's illness.

This was a really delightful story that I just didn't want to stop reading! It was full of Norse mythology which I loved. I don't know as much about it as I do about some other mythologies, some of it was familiar to me but there was also lots of newness. I would love to find out more about some of the stories mentioned.

The scenery was beautiful, I could imagine running around the island with Moxie, exploring the endless caves and beaches. Though I probably would have been a lot more hesitant than Ailsa, she's so brave, diving into all these new places. Ailsa's friendship with Camilla is lovely too. Though Camilla seems so clever and worldly wise, she needs a friend as much as Ailsa does and together they can get through anything. One of the things I loved while reading was how "aye" is basically an answer for any question or comment made by anyone in this book! The perfect all-encompassing statement :)

I found this lovely looking cocktail on proofcocktails.nl which also has lots of other interesting cocktails which I will be trying out ASAP!

To make The Selkie’s Tears, stir the following ingredients in ice and then strain into a cocktail glass. 45ml scotch whiskey, 22ml Lilet Blanc, 15ml King's Ginger (ginger/lemon liqueur), 3 dashes of celery bitters. Then garnish with some samphire. Apparently the selkies love this garnish!