The Hollow Sea

Critics Review

• A bold, magical story about the letting go of long-held hope and building a different future

  Jo Browning Wroe, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Terrible Kindness

• Deftly structured and set against a wild, myth-inspired backdrop, the novel explores grief and violence, freedom and redemption. It’s a majestic work of the imagination, with writing that shimmers before the reader, underpinned by a howling, fearless story. I loved it and woke up thinking about it

  Rosie Andrews, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Leviathan

• An atmospheric tale shot through with folklore. Annie Kirby’s writing shimmers as she weaves together the threads of Scottie’s forgotten past and her journey to face a future where she won’t be the mother she always hoped to be. Beautiful & hopeful

  Kate Sawyer, Costa-shortlised author of The Stranding

• A beautifully written, heart-rending atmospheric novel of finding what makes one whole

  Melissa Fu, author of Peach Blossom Spring

• This mesmerising tale has just the right amount of folklore to be magical

  Good Housekeeping

• An incredibly beautiful story, shot through with shimmering myth, sorrow and hope

  Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child

• One of those rare novels that combines a page-turning story with language to savour. A beguiling and beautiful tale about motherhood, nature and art, The Hollow Sea celebrates the many different ways we might create and nurture.

  Emma Sweeney, author of Owl Song at Dawn

• A thoughtful, beautiful gem of a story and I loved it

  Rebecca F. John, Costa-shortlisted author of The Haunting of Henry Twist

• A stunning debut, part myth and part touching story of infertility and motherhood. I was swept away on a stormy sea and didn’t want it to end. Delicious storytelling

  Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl

• A poetic tale

  Prima

• In The Hollow Sea, Annie Kirby has taken the external societal shaming and internal lived reality of involuntarily childless women and transformed them into an extraordinarily lyrical story. This book insinuated itself into my soul like a poem; whilst taking my mind on a mythical, allegorical adventure that lingers in my subconscious like a painting. Whether you are a parent or non-parent, this extraordinary novel will drench you in beauty. I adored it.

  Jody Day, author of Living the Life Unexpected and founder of Gateway Women

• A real beauty. A magical story of one woman’s infertility combined with a mythical sea world. Beautiful

  Laura Price, author of Single Bald Female

• Beautifully written with a hint of mythology and well-drawn characters, this is a captivating story of love and loss that will stay with you

  Candis

• An absolutely beautiful story of love, loss, family and motherhood. Told in interweaving strands, it follows the story of Scottie whose mysterious past haunts her, and whose own struggles to become a mother is slowly destroying her . . . I read this book in just two sittings, the lyrical prose pulled me in and held me captivated, and my heart wept and sang in equal measure. Truly stunning

  Louise Morrish, author of Operation Moonlight

• Annie Kirby writes so beautifully about place, I felt I was there with her on the islands, watching the waves. I love how she weaves together myth and reality, and found her portrayal of Scottie and Jasminder’s thwarted attempts to have children very moving

  Sarah Butler, author of Before The Fire

• The Hollow Sea elegantly interweaves the stories of two women haunted by hope and loss. Eloquent and moving, with a touch of folklore, this is a beautiful, hopeful tale

  Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

• Heart-wrenching, haunting, and ultimately hopeful too. Extraordinary. Beautiful, thought-provoking and woven through with folklore and myth, an utterly absorbing read that will touch your heart. Magnificent. Unforgettable.

  Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts

• Fiercely original . . . a really powerful, provocative and original debut

  Natasha Solomons, author of I, Mona Lisa

• An exquisitely-crafted novel about heritage, folklore and the persistent roar of unfulfilled dreams. When I finished it, I felt like I’d emerged from the sea, dripping with salt and tangled in kelp. Dizzyingly brilliant

  Lizzie Pook, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

• A Coast ‘Book of the Month’

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• Incredibly atmospheric and multifaceted

  Culturefly