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Flyaway
In a small Western Queensland town, a reserved young woman receives a note from one of her vanished brothers—a note that makes her question her memories of their disappearance and her father’s departure.
A beguiling story that proves that gothic delights and uncanny family horror can live—and even thrive—under a burning sun, Flyaway introduces readers to Bettina Scott, whose search for the truth throws her into tales of eerie dogs, vanished schools, cursed monsters, and enchanted bottles.
In these pages Jennings assures you that gothic delights, uncanny family horror, and strange, unsettling prose can live—and even thrive—under a burning sun.
Holly Black describes as “half mystery, half fairy tale, all exquisitely rendered and full of teeth.” Flyaway enchants you with the sly, beautiful darkness of Karen Russell and a world utterly its own.
A beguiling story that proves that gothic delights and uncanny family horror can live—and even thrive—under a burning sun, Flyaway introduces readers to Bettina Scott, whose search for the truth throws her into tales of eerie dogs, vanished schools, cursed monsters, and enchanted bottles.
In these pages Jennings assures you that gothic delights, uncanny family horror, and strange, unsettling prose can live—and even thrive—under a burning sun.
Holly Black describes as “half mystery, half fairy tale, all exquisitely rendered and full of teeth.” Flyaway enchants you with the sly, beautiful darkness of Karen Russell and a world utterly its own.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2020
About the author
Kathleen Jennings
67 books150 followersKathleen Jennings is an illustrator and writer based in Brisbane, Australia. As an illustrator, she has been shortlisted three times for the World Fantasy Awards, once for the Hugos, and once for the Locus Awards, as well as winning a number of Ditmars. As a writer, she has won two Ditmars and been shortlisted for the Eugie Foster Memorial Award and for several Aurealis Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 649 reviews
October 29, 2023
The experience of reading this book can only be described as surreal.
Flyaway has the quality of a dream that thins into wisps the moment you try to wrap words around it. There is a strange, drunken sense of unreality throughout, and I couldn't stop reading for fear that the world would shift the moment I had my back turned to it. As if I might jolt awake at any second, lift my head, and find myself in a darkening room alone, the book still left open on my chest. A part of my mind still thinks I imagined it, pages and spine and all.
In Flyaway, Jennings melts the raw materials of fairytales and Australian folk-horror and melds them into a coruscatingly original assemblage. The resulting tale is at once tender and terrifying, beautiful and profoundly upsetting, so intimate and particular and yet so attuned to the perils and sorrows of our times.
Flyaway is, in all ways, almost a perfect novella. There’s a subtlety and nuance to Jenning’s imaginative storytelling that barters for your attention with its dangers and its mysteries. Her writing is full of nameless currents
and her images are so startling and haunting I still find myself still circling back to my favorite passages, running my fingers over the words, letting them sink into me, like a stone sinking soundlessly into deep water.
The small Western Queensland town where the story is set is a place where you can scoop secrets from the air by the handfuls. A town that has dreams and nightmares and memories to spare—and stories too. Stories that hang heavy like ghosts. Stories that have long since been smothered in a blanket of silence, doors locked and all the windows sealed against the sound. You can hear life pricking the stillness—but that quietness is deceptive: somewhere, just below the surface, someone is screaming. And in Flyaway, these stories thunder.
Flyaway wades heart-deep in the forest of the town’s memory, past the thorn-bush thicket of the past, rooting out secrets and darkness. Unveiled in a chilling and clarifying fashion are warning tales of abuse sweetened into love tales, of possessive, conditional, desire-to-own masquerading as love, of betrayal and complacency and violence softened into myth. The words are a pry bar slipped into a crack, and twisted to break it all open: they tell a story of debts called in and torments come a-knocking, of magic that defies theft and lands full of vengeance and wrath and searing anguish, the cords of its Indigenous souls so entangled in it that it can’t let go. The resulting narrative is a scraping of truths that draws blood, that hurts jagged.
An unforgettable tale that I will be revisiting again and again.
Flyaway has the quality of a dream that thins into wisps the moment you try to wrap words around it. There is a strange, drunken sense of unreality throughout, and I couldn't stop reading for fear that the world would shift the moment I had my back turned to it. As if I might jolt awake at any second, lift my head, and find myself in a darkening room alone, the book still left open on my chest. A part of my mind still thinks I imagined it, pages and spine and all.
Don’t remember this: the heft of a body, fully human, so much weightier than bird-boys and flower-women. Forget rending steel, the car where it slumped. Don’t remember where you dropped the keys (maybe they’ve been found, added to a rattling graveyard of metal). Don’t remember limping home through the trees, believing them empty.
They were always full of ghosts.
You were already becoming one.
In Flyaway, Jennings melts the raw materials of fairytales and Australian folk-horror and melds them into a coruscatingly original assemblage. The resulting tale is at once tender and terrifying, beautiful and profoundly upsetting, so intimate and particular and yet so attuned to the perils and sorrows of our times.
Flyaway is, in all ways, almost a perfect novella. There’s a subtlety and nuance to Jenning’s imaginative storytelling that barters for your attention with its dangers and its mysteries. Her writing is full of nameless currents
and her images are so startling and haunting I still find myself still circling back to my favorite passages, running my fingers over the words, letting them sink into me, like a stone sinking soundlessly into deep water.
The small Western Queensland town where the story is set is a place where you can scoop secrets from the air by the handfuls. A town that has dreams and nightmares and memories to spare—and stories too. Stories that hang heavy like ghosts. Stories that have long since been smothered in a blanket of silence, doors locked and all the windows sealed against the sound. You can hear life pricking the stillness—but that quietness is deceptive: somewhere, just below the surface, someone is screaming. And in Flyaway, these stories thunder.
Flyaway wades heart-deep in the forest of the town’s memory, past the thorn-bush thicket of the past, rooting out secrets and darkness. Unveiled in a chilling and clarifying fashion are warning tales of abuse sweetened into love tales, of possessive, conditional, desire-to-own masquerading as love, of betrayal and complacency and violence softened into myth. The words are a pry bar slipped into a crack, and twisted to break it all open: they tell a story of debts called in and torments come a-knocking, of magic that defies theft and lands full of vengeance and wrath and searing anguish, the cords of its Indigenous souls so entangled in it that it can’t let go. The resulting narrative is a scraping of truths that draws blood, that hurts jagged.
An unforgettable tale that I will be revisiting again and again.
December 22, 2022
How can a book be so enchanting yet so confusing at the same time? That sums up my experience with this book. I loved the fairytale dream like tone of this book, but it was dry in terms of the plot and the characters. I needed those elements to be stronger in order to end up in a love scenario.
August 9, 2024
Does your town have an urban legend? I’ve always been fascinated by the way a story can, like a snowball rolling down a hill, gain in velocity as it is passed along and grow in menacing mass as details soften into murky dread and possibilities. But what horrors and terrible events lend themselves to legends that perpetuate through the ages? Flyaway from Australian author Kathleen Jennings is a darkly immersive journey into Australian folklore and frights as a young girl discovers that the haunting tales whispered around her town might have such sinister truths at their heart. It is folk horror at its finest and reads like an Australian Gothic as the pain of the past haunt the present. Jennings’ prose spirals through haunting figurative language and surreal imagery that pulls the reader along through this beguiling tale as if the novel were a ferocious fairytale forest instead of words on a page. Full of mystery and surprises with brief stories of folklore interwoven with the main plot, Flyaway is alive with fairytale sensibilities as in this tale about generation trauma and uncovering hard truths that are swept under the rug only to return more frightening than ever.
‘Strange, what chooses to flourish here. Which plants. Which stories.’
I’d like to thank Ceallaigh and her excellent review for guiding me to this eerie tale. The story revolves around teenage Bettina Scott who, with the help of two former friends she sometimes thinks of as enemies, is trying to discover a mystery of her family’s recent past when a threatening message written on her fence is followed by an ominous threat that arrives in the mail. Flyaway is best enjoyed with as little knowledge of the plot as possible going into it, and the narrative does—admittedly—begin rather obfuscating though this is all by design. The book garners comparisons to Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle for a similar gothic atmosphere, ominous dread and unreliable narrator with Bettina being a successful successor to Mericat with her social standoffishness and glaring gaps in personal history while her thoughts are continuously assailed by the voice of her mother chastising her manners and encouraging “ladylike” behavior. It can be tricky to follow at first but hang in there. It is a worthwhile fumbling through the narrative dark because around halfway there is a brilliant moment that suddenly blows aside your confusion like the dispersal of a fog, the seemingly disparate pieces slide into place, and the larger picture comes gloriously into focus. It is like those cartoons where a character walks into the mouth of a beast mistaking the teeth as trees and only gains clarity of their surroundings as the jaws snap shut…
‘I tried to be anxious, but the earth and the grass and the evening breeze surrounded me, as if I had been set into a socket of the world for which I’d been designed.’
Beyond the personal struggles of the teenage cast, there is a larger scope making this just as much a story about this secluded Queensland town and the long feuds, neighborly distrust and legends that linger through generations. Runagate is from a distric ‘somewhere between the Coral Sea and the Indian Ocean but on the way to nowhere, there was a district called – oh, let’s call it Inglewell’ and exist as if in a state of decomposition. The folklore is brought to life through brief tales threaded into the larger narrative, weaving magic and dread into daily reality until it becomes entirely engulfed in the fantastical as a surreal landscape shot through with sorrow. An entire school vanishes into the trees, a bottle might grant wishes, shapeshifters and other terrors with teeth might thrash in the underbrush. It is teeming with Australian folklore and there are some real creepy beasts such as the Megarrity, which I kept misreading in my head as Mega-Gritty though it would make sense if Gritty made his way to Philly after terrorizing the Australian forests for centuries.
The town itself is framed as ferociously as the folklore with Jennings’ prose crafting the land as a sentient beast and the trees and creatures that crawl amongst them are characters on their own. ‘Trees like lanterns, like candles, ghosts and bones,’ trees bleeding resin, trees that cloy the decaying buildings and rot of Runagate and seem a testament to the permeating sadness of its atmosphere, trees as omnipresent lurking threats that separate the town from the rest of Australia like the mythical forests of fairytales.
The sense of isolation is thick, both literally and figuratively as divisions between neighbors run deep with the three principal characters coming together as if totems for the legacy of these families. Gary Damson is a particularly well-fixed character in this theme coming from a family of fence builders that for generations ‘keep up fences, walk boundaries.’ Bettina, on the other hand is a legacy of disaster juxtaposed to Trish and the Aberdeens who uphold social norms and status quo. As the story descends into dread and weirdness, they begin to realize the legacy of lore might be more than tall tales to chill you around a campfire.
‘Memory bleed and frayed there, where ghosts stood silent by fenceposts.’
Fable and fairytales often exists as warning or guidance through the dark forests of life. As Folklorist Jack Zipes writes ‘Fairy tales since the beginning of recorded time, and perhaps earlier, have been a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor.’ Here we find that the tales betray dark secrets and a legacy of betrayals and debts, violence and abuse that cannot remain silent in the past. ‘Truth was shifting the way the land had when we drove: trees sliding behind trees.’ writes Jennings and the reader begins to question if Bettina’s narration is confused because she has pushed aside painful memories, and is the truth transforming into terrors that haunt the countryside demanding confrontation. Under the stones of stories we find the violence of patriarchy and colonialism, the sins of greed and grief perpetuating themselves down through generations as trauma grips people's hearts and in turn they commit emotional and physical violence as a sense of control over others. This is a story with teeth and the wails of those who have been bitten.
‘If all those stories mean anything, they mean sometimes people do just disappear. And maybe they can be found.’
An incredible little novella that, while confusing at first, pays off in the end, Flyaway embodies the spirit of fairytales and has a few of its own to tell. There is a familiar story at the heart of this, though which one is a major reveal late in the novel I won’t spoil, and this works as a haunting Australian gothic tale that probes the darkness of the human heart. Sharp and sinister, Flyaway is a real treat.
4.5/5
‘Through the soles of her feet and hands, through her skin, the land sang to her: dark and silver, the bones of the world.’
‘Strange, what chooses to flourish here. Which plants. Which stories.’
I’d like to thank Ceallaigh and her excellent review for guiding me to this eerie tale. The story revolves around teenage Bettina Scott who, with the help of two former friends she sometimes thinks of as enemies, is trying to discover a mystery of her family’s recent past when a threatening message written on her fence is followed by an ominous threat that arrives in the mail. Flyaway is best enjoyed with as little knowledge of the plot as possible going into it, and the narrative does—admittedly—begin rather obfuscating though this is all by design. The book garners comparisons to Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle for a similar gothic atmosphere, ominous dread and unreliable narrator with Bettina being a successful successor to Mericat with her social standoffishness and glaring gaps in personal history while her thoughts are continuously assailed by the voice of her mother chastising her manners and encouraging “ladylike” behavior. It can be tricky to follow at first but hang in there. It is a worthwhile fumbling through the narrative dark because around halfway there is a brilliant moment that suddenly blows aside your confusion like the dispersal of a fog, the seemingly disparate pieces slide into place, and the larger picture comes gloriously into focus. It is like those cartoons where a character walks into the mouth of a beast mistaking the teeth as trees and only gains clarity of their surroundings as the jaws snap shut…
‘I tried to be anxious, but the earth and the grass and the evening breeze surrounded me, as if I had been set into a socket of the world for which I’d been designed.’
Beyond the personal struggles of the teenage cast, there is a larger scope making this just as much a story about this secluded Queensland town and the long feuds, neighborly distrust and legends that linger through generations. Runagate is from a distric ‘somewhere between the Coral Sea and the Indian Ocean but on the way to nowhere, there was a district called – oh, let’s call it Inglewell’ and exist as if in a state of decomposition. The folklore is brought to life through brief tales threaded into the larger narrative, weaving magic and dread into daily reality until it becomes entirely engulfed in the fantastical as a surreal landscape shot through with sorrow. An entire school vanishes into the trees, a bottle might grant wishes, shapeshifters and other terrors with teeth might thrash in the underbrush. It is teeming with Australian folklore and there are some real creepy beasts such as the Megarrity, which I kept misreading in my head as Mega-Gritty though it would make sense if Gritty made his way to Philly after terrorizing the Australian forests for centuries.
The town itself is framed as ferociously as the folklore with Jennings’ prose crafting the land as a sentient beast and the trees and creatures that crawl amongst them are characters on their own. ‘Trees like lanterns, like candles, ghosts and bones,’ trees bleeding resin, trees that cloy the decaying buildings and rot of Runagate and seem a testament to the permeating sadness of its atmosphere, trees as omnipresent lurking threats that separate the town from the rest of Australia like the mythical forests of fairytales.
‘Trees towered hard as bronze in still sunlight, and stirred like a living hide in the rolling advent of a storm. If you were born to Runagate with all its fragile propriety, its tidy civilisation, its ring-fence of roads and paddocks, wires and blood, there was nothing else in the world beyond but tree.’
The sense of isolation is thick, both literally and figuratively as divisions between neighbors run deep with the three principal characters coming together as if totems for the legacy of these families. Gary Damson is a particularly well-fixed character in this theme coming from a family of fence builders that for generations ‘keep up fences, walk boundaries.’ Bettina, on the other hand is a legacy of disaster juxtaposed to Trish and the Aberdeens who uphold social norms and status quo. As the story descends into dread and weirdness, they begin to realize the legacy of lore might be more than tall tales to chill you around a campfire.
‘Memory bleed and frayed there, where ghosts stood silent by fenceposts.’
Fable and fairytales often exists as warning or guidance through the dark forests of life. As Folklorist Jack Zipes writes ‘Fairy tales since the beginning of recorded time, and perhaps earlier, have been a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor.’ Here we find that the tales betray dark secrets and a legacy of betrayals and debts, violence and abuse that cannot remain silent in the past. ‘Truth was shifting the way the land had when we drove: trees sliding behind trees.’ writes Jennings and the reader begins to question if Bettina’s narration is confused because she has pushed aside painful memories, and is the truth transforming into terrors that haunt the countryside demanding confrontation. Under the stones of stories we find the violence of patriarchy and colonialism, the sins of greed and grief perpetuating themselves down through generations as trauma grips people's hearts and in turn they commit emotional and physical violence as a sense of control over others. This is a story with teeth and the wails of those who have been bitten.
‘If all those stories mean anything, they mean sometimes people do just disappear. And maybe they can be found.’
An incredible little novella that, while confusing at first, pays off in the end, Flyaway embodies the spirit of fairytales and has a few of its own to tell. There is a familiar story at the heart of this, though which one is a major reveal late in the novel I won’t spoil, and this works as a haunting Australian gothic tale that probes the darkness of the human heart. Sharp and sinister, Flyaway is a real treat.
4.5/5
‘Through the soles of her feet and hands, through her skin, the land sang to her: dark and silver, the bones of the world.’
August 29, 2020
Ummmm I think I'm in love.
The story is about Bettina (Tina), who goes searching for answers about what happened to her family. Along the way, we get stories within her story; although I wouldn't consider this a book of short stories as all of the shorter stories contribute to the plot.
Things I loved
It's an Australian setting, but it's not all dry heat, scorched earth, blokes and sheilas and roos and Mick and Shazza having a fag and a stubby etc. I freaking LOATHE those Aussie stereotypes so it was so refreshing to read a story set in a small Australian town without any of that crap. The bush in this story is closer to my experience of it - dry, sure, but the life is still there. It's beautiful in its own unique (slightly deadly) kind of way. Plus it feels so isolated - like, even Aussies don't properly know about this secret place.
The mix of Australian setting and whimsy was so beautifully done. It meant that I could see this setting so clearly, while at the same time still firmly believe that strange creatures lurked behind shrubs and hung from the trees. The blend was PERFECT.
Speaking of the whimsy, GOD this had me so hooked! The whispers and legends and darting shadows and echoes ... I gotta tell ya, I was thoroughly spooked. It's so damn eerie and I was just so in love with it all. The magical element of this story is so unique, and there is part of me that was just so ... proud ... to feel like, 'this is how we do spooky creatures in Australia'. Which I'll admit seems a little bizarre, but there you have it. It's like ... this story built so well the whole secrecy side of things that reading it allowed me to take ownership of the secrets a little. It felt like I was in on it, and as spooky as these things were I wanted to protect them.
The atmosphere is properly creepy, and Tina's whole situation is such a mystery. Clearly she's a space cadet compared to her former self but what the heck happened to her? We've got Gary and Trish to ground the story, though, which mean this is more 'magical realism' - while Tina is a little bit off with the fairies and you can't trust anything she says or thinks, we have two very rational characters who still tell these mysterious stories and their own experiences. Rather than 'rational' being thrown out the window, its definition expands to encompass the unusual. It was so elegantly done.
Which brings me to the glue: the writing. It's so beautiful, man. It gave me such a clear image of the place, but it never got bogged down in details. It gives you a taste of the mystery and releases information in small doses, but there was never a moment where I felt the story had stalled. It flowed on so naturally. This is not a stagnant creek, nor white-water rapids. It's just a steady flowing stream with a few bends and dips to navigate along the way. No words are wasted, and while there is a lot of unusual happenings, it never goes over your head completely. It's strange, but not frustratingly so. Its strangeness is what enamoured me so completely.
I just loved everything about this book. It's relatively short, but not condensed. It tells these incredible myths that are woven into the story. The creatures were all totally new to me, but I fell in love with them immediately. Seriously - does legend of the 'Megaritty' exist beyond this story? Because I Googled and came up empty. But I'm so in love with this ruthless little beastie - I want to know more! It just felt like all these creatures belonged to the land, making for such a rich setting.
I suppose this is less about the story and more about the whimsy along the way, but it still kept me curious and entertained and honestly if the author ever visits this place again I AM THERE.
This will appeal to so many people: it's got beautiful language for the slow digesters; it's an authentic Australian setting that will appeal to Aussies like myself while not being a stereotype and therefore alienating those who, like me, are tired of small Australian town settings all being the same; its being Australian isn't actually a huge focus, so the setting won't deter anyone; it's got a mystery to solve; the magic is vivid and yet not overwhelming for those not particularly interested in fantasy; and it just leaves you with so many things to think about after reading.
I can't fault it.
This is definitely one I'll be talking about for a while. Absolutely one of my favourite reads this year. Get on it!
With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC
The story is about Bettina (Tina), who goes searching for answers about what happened to her family. Along the way, we get stories within her story; although I wouldn't consider this a book of short stories as all of the shorter stories contribute to the plot.
Things I loved
It's an Australian setting, but it's not all dry heat, scorched earth, blokes and sheilas and roos and Mick and Shazza having a fag and a stubby etc. I freaking LOATHE those Aussie stereotypes so it was so refreshing to read a story set in a small Australian town without any of that crap. The bush in this story is closer to my experience of it - dry, sure, but the life is still there. It's beautiful in its own unique (slightly deadly) kind of way. Plus it feels so isolated - like, even Aussies don't properly know about this secret place.
The mix of Australian setting and whimsy was so beautifully done. It meant that I could see this setting so clearly, while at the same time still firmly believe that strange creatures lurked behind shrubs and hung from the trees. The blend was PERFECT.
Speaking of the whimsy, GOD this had me so hooked! The whispers and legends and darting shadows and echoes ... I gotta tell ya, I was thoroughly spooked. It's so damn eerie and I was just so in love with it all. The magical element of this story is so unique, and there is part of me that was just so ... proud ... to feel like, 'this is how we do spooky creatures in Australia'. Which I'll admit seems a little bizarre, but there you have it. It's like ... this story built so well the whole secrecy side of things that reading it allowed me to take ownership of the secrets a little. It felt like I was in on it, and as spooky as these things were I wanted to protect them.
The atmosphere is properly creepy, and Tina's whole situation is such a mystery. Clearly she's a space cadet compared to her former self but what the heck happened to her? We've got Gary and Trish to ground the story, though, which mean this is more 'magical realism' - while Tina is a little bit off with the fairies and you can't trust anything she says or thinks, we have two very rational characters who still tell these mysterious stories and their own experiences. Rather than 'rational' being thrown out the window, its definition expands to encompass the unusual. It was so elegantly done.
Which brings me to the glue: the writing. It's so beautiful, man. It gave me such a clear image of the place, but it never got bogged down in details. It gives you a taste of the mystery and releases information in small doses, but there was never a moment where I felt the story had stalled. It flowed on so naturally. This is not a stagnant creek, nor white-water rapids. It's just a steady flowing stream with a few bends and dips to navigate along the way. No words are wasted, and while there is a lot of unusual happenings, it never goes over your head completely. It's strange, but not frustratingly so. Its strangeness is what enamoured me so completely.
I just loved everything about this book. It's relatively short, but not condensed. It tells these incredible myths that are woven into the story. The creatures were all totally new to me, but I fell in love with them immediately. Seriously - does legend of the 'Megaritty' exist beyond this story? Because I Googled and came up empty. But I'm so in love with this ruthless little beastie - I want to know more! It just felt like all these creatures belonged to the land, making for such a rich setting.
I suppose this is less about the story and more about the whimsy along the way, but it still kept me curious and entertained and honestly if the author ever visits this place again I AM THERE.
This will appeal to so many people: it's got beautiful language for the slow digesters; it's an authentic Australian setting that will appeal to Aussies like myself while not being a stereotype and therefore alienating those who, like me, are tired of small Australian town settings all being the same; its being Australian isn't actually a huge focus, so the setting won't deter anyone; it's got a mystery to solve; the magic is vivid and yet not overwhelming for those not particularly interested in fantasy; and it just leaves you with so many things to think about after reading.
I can't fault it.
This is definitely one I'll be talking about for a while. Absolutely one of my favourite reads this year. Get on it!
With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC
August 17, 2019
A dark family fairy tale steeped in monsters and magic. Australian folk-horror with a strong Shirley Jackson vibe. Prose that lurks and bites and snatches at your ankles.
It's so good, y'all.
It's so good, y'all.
August 28, 2021
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While Kathleen Jennings is an undeniably wonderful illustrator, I'm afraid that I wasn't particularly impressed by her novella. What first struck me as somewhat discordant in Flyaway was the prose itself. At times the writing was clunky and there were passages that seemed as if they were trying to echo someone else's style. The way Flyaway started was also incredibly reminiscent of my favourite novel by Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. While in Jackson's novel the ambiguity felt almost 'natural', Flyway seems to be blaring its own mysteriousness. Our narrator, Bettina (I had to check her name, that's how 'unforgettable' she is) has this excessively creepy monologue which consists in her repeating to herself her mother's ladylike beliefs/rules. Bettina cannot remember why her father disappeared. She isn't concerned by her hazy memories until she receives a letter that for plot reasons convinces her to embark on a road-trip with her former best friends. Quite a few people have disappeared in their small town, and these three decide to figure out what's going on. Interspersed in this already short story are chapters about minor characters who are connected to the town and its mystery.
The characters were mere names and lacked personality. Bettina's narration isn't nearly as ambivalent as it believes, the various stories were both boring and predictable, and I simply could not get into the flow of Jennings dissonant writing style.
While Kathleen Jennings is an undeniably wonderful illustrator, I'm afraid that I wasn't particularly impressed by her novella. What first struck me as somewhat discordant in Flyaway was the prose itself. At times the writing was clunky and there were passages that seemed as if they were trying to echo someone else's style. The way Flyaway started was also incredibly reminiscent of my favourite novel by Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. While in Jackson's novel the ambiguity felt almost 'natural', Flyway seems to be blaring its own mysteriousness. Our narrator, Bettina (I had to check her name, that's how 'unforgettable' she is) has this excessively creepy monologue which consists in her repeating to herself her mother's ladylike beliefs/rules. Bettina cannot remember why her father disappeared. She isn't concerned by her hazy memories until she receives a letter that for plot reasons convinces her to embark on a road-trip with her former best friends. Quite a few people have disappeared in their small town, and these three decide to figure out what's going on. Interspersed in this already short story are chapters about minor characters who are connected to the town and its mystery.
The characters were mere names and lacked personality. Bettina's narration isn't nearly as ambivalent as it believes, the various stories were both boring and predictable, and I simply could not get into the flow of Jennings dissonant writing style.
June 25, 2020
‘...somewhere between the Coral Sea and the Indian Ocean but on the way to nowhere’
Flyaway brings us gothic fairytales and folk horror set in familiar, dusty-but-tidy towns, hours from anywhere, surrounded by a vast sun-bleached landscape.
Nineteen-year-old Bettina, prim, skittish, ostracised by the insular town, is a Shirley Jackson heroine transplanted to the Australian bush. When she receives a scrawled note reading ‘YOU COWARD, TINK’ it becomes clear that Bettina has gaping holes in her memory. What does the note mean and where did her father and brothers disappear to?
Solving this mystery means untangling a skein of urban legends and tall tales: of monsters hiding in the trees, shapeshifters and magic potions. Some of these tales have obvious roots in well-known fairytales, others seem familiar in that hazy ‘have I heard this before?’ kind of way. The frame story with Bettina is deliberately jumbled and confusing—just hang on for the ride—with a final rush of exposition tidying everything up.
If I didn’t already know the author was a Queenslander, the mention of kids sitting on their school ports* eating ice creams in the warm winter sunshine would have given it away. Flyaway’s small country towns and wide open spaces are so familiar to me and so lovingly rendered that I felt like I was there, and they works so brilliantly as a setting for Jennings’ brand of fantasy/folk/gothic horror. 4 stars
*I read a digital ARC, so there's no guarantee this little regionalism will make it to the final version. But I hope it does :)
Flyaway brings us gothic fairytales and folk horror set in familiar, dusty-but-tidy towns, hours from anywhere, surrounded by a vast sun-bleached landscape.
Nineteen-year-old Bettina, prim, skittish, ostracised by the insular town, is a Shirley Jackson heroine transplanted to the Australian bush. When she receives a scrawled note reading ‘YOU COWARD, TINK’ it becomes clear that Bettina has gaping holes in her memory. What does the note mean and where did her father and brothers disappear to?
Solving this mystery means untangling a skein of urban legends and tall tales: of monsters hiding in the trees, shapeshifters and magic potions. Some of these tales have obvious roots in well-known fairytales, others seem familiar in that hazy ‘have I heard this before?’ kind of way. The frame story with Bettina is deliberately jumbled and confusing—just hang on for the ride—with a final rush of exposition tidying everything up.
If I didn’t already know the author was a Queenslander, the mention of kids sitting on their school ports* eating ice creams in the warm winter sunshine would have given it away. Flyaway’s small country towns and wide open spaces are so familiar to me and so lovingly rendered that I felt like I was there, and they works so brilliantly as a setting for Jennings’ brand of fantasy/folk/gothic horror. 4 stars
*I read a digital ARC, so there's no guarantee this little regionalism will make it to the final version. But I hope it does :)
September 14, 2020
Gorgeously written, in language that brings alive the deep mystery of the Australian landscape. This is a dark tale of family and community secrets, in which memory, rumour and folklore interweave as Bettina goes in search of her lost brothers. It's tricky, it's challenging, it's beautiful. The story will draw you right into a world where nothing is quite what it seems. Illustrated with Kathleen's own art work - she is equally talented as illustrator and writer.
August 19, 2021
Wow. Flawless.
My sincere apologies to the publisher for not getting to my digital arc in time—I’m here a year later with a physical copy. This was so amazing. I am doubly upset at missing out on promoting this book‘s release last year. Best believe I’ll be shouting about this book from the rooftops now—what a fantastic book!
Writing: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★
Sense of magic/myth: ★★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★
Sometimes you read a book and it's like a switch is flipped. All of the sudden, you realize this is your favorite thing, you've wanted something like this for a long time and just didn't know it.
Flyaway did that for me—I am now completely obsessed.
This is a short novella, so again I'll keep it brief because everyone deserves to go into this mini mythic fairytale on the Outback with as little prepping as possible.
There are three tiny towns in the rough bush of the Outback. One disappeared back into the rough bush. One is barely hanging on. And one holds onto its remaining population with an iron fist. But which town is which? I'll tell you this - they're not the ones you first expect.
Then there's Bettina Scott. She lives with her mother in a prim, proper house in her prim, proper cardigan with their lemon tree in the backyard and a fence keeping the neighbors out. Occasionally, Bettina thinks she remembers things. I don't think you want to get flustered, dear, I think you just need to lie down, her mother says instead. Don't go thinking about things that didn't happen.
Bettina is often doing what her mother says. It's easy to keep forgetting once you start, after all.
But what, exactly, is Bettina forgetting? What does it have to do with the interjected chapters of local myths from different characters? And what is going to happen to their tiny Australian Bermuda triangle once Bettina does remember?
Do you get chills from that? Because I do. And did. And will continue to.
This was *chefs kiss* perfection. For fans of The Border Keeper, Middlegame, Jane Harper's atmospheric Australian mysteries like The Lost Man, and other strange little pieces of novellas.
I have nothing negative to say. A piece of savored heaven with dark, sharp edges.
Thank you to TOR via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
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My sincere apologies to the publisher for not getting to my digital arc in time—I’m here a year later with a physical copy. This was so amazing. I am doubly upset at missing out on promoting this book‘s release last year. Best believe I’ll be shouting about this book from the rooftops now—what a fantastic book!
Writing: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★
Sense of magic/myth: ★★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★
Sometimes you read a book and it's like a switch is flipped. All of the sudden, you realize this is your favorite thing, you've wanted something like this for a long time and just didn't know it.
Flyaway did that for me—I am now completely obsessed.
This is a short novella, so again I'll keep it brief because everyone deserves to go into this mini mythic fairytale on the Outback with as little prepping as possible.
There are three tiny towns in the rough bush of the Outback. One disappeared back into the rough bush. One is barely hanging on. And one holds onto its remaining population with an iron fist. But which town is which? I'll tell you this - they're not the ones you first expect.
Then there's Bettina Scott. She lives with her mother in a prim, proper house in her prim, proper cardigan with their lemon tree in the backyard and a fence keeping the neighbors out. Occasionally, Bettina thinks she remembers things. I don't think you want to get flustered, dear, I think you just need to lie down, her mother says instead. Don't go thinking about things that didn't happen.
Bettina is often doing what her mother says. It's easy to keep forgetting once you start, after all.
But what, exactly, is Bettina forgetting? What does it have to do with the interjected chapters of local myths from different characters? And what is going to happen to their tiny Australian Bermuda triangle once Bettina does remember?
Do you get chills from that? Because I do. And did. And will continue to.
This was *chefs kiss* perfection. For fans of The Border Keeper, Middlegame, Jane Harper's atmospheric Australian mysteries like The Lost Man, and other strange little pieces of novellas.
I have nothing negative to say. A piece of savored heaven with dark, sharp edges.
Thank you to TOR via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
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July 31, 2020
This book is upsetting in the way writing by Brooke Bolander and Cat Valente is upsetting: there's an effortless grace to the prose, an ease with which the writer jewels their descriptions, that feels like magic out of the reach of of the mundane. I'm endlessly stopping as I go to marvel over the writing, drink up the easy beauty of it. Like, 'a blue smell of rubber' is so goddamned evocative yet so spare, I want to eat my damn wrist.
Or this, goddamnit, 'the sky blue as breath, as enamel, or beaten like copper, everything beneath it turned to metal, or else translucent.'
If one could die of passionate admiration, Jennings and writers like her would have murdered me six times over.
Or this, goddamnit, 'the sky blue as breath, as enamel, or beaten like copper, everything beneath it turned to metal, or else translucent.'
If one could die of passionate admiration, Jennings and writers like her would have murdered me six times over.
September 5, 2020
We tend to associate dark fiction with “literal” darkness – with shadows, haunted houses, twilight apparitions and “things that go bump in the night”. Similarly, the “North”, with its long winter nights and its mythology of fairies, trolls and diverse monsters, seems more attuned to conventional supernatural fiction than the Southern Hemisphere.
But just as Ari Aster’s movie Midsommar showed us that there can be dark horror in the unending daylight of a Nordic summer, Kathleen Jennings’ beguiling debut Flyway successfully challenges tradition by transplanting tropes of Gothic, fantasy and supernatural fiction to an Australian context.
The novel(la) is set in a small rural settlement in Western Queensland in the recent past – early to mid-nineties, judging by the references to early internet and mobile phones. The main storyline is narrated by nineteen-year-old Bettina Scott, although between each chapter there are short interludes – fairytale-like stories-within-stories – narrated by other characters. Bettina, we learn, was a feisty teenager, but since the sudden disappearance of her father and two brothers a few years back, she has lived a secluded life under the zealous protection of her mother Nerida. One day, she receives a mysterious message which suggests that her brothers might still be alive. With the help of two old friends, Gary and Trish, she sets out on a modern-day quest, to find her brothers and, in the process, discover hidden truths about her family.
Admittedly, Flyaway takes some time getting into. Jennings does not spell out things for the reader and the first few chapters of the novel felt somewhat disorienting. However, the narrative is well worth the initial effort and as things start falling into place, it gets increasingly gripping. A small hint… it helps to keep some notes about the different characters and the families they belong to – as in any self-respecting Gothic work, surnames are more than just identifiers…
A thrilling blend of Gothic mystery, modern fairytale and folk horror, Kathleen Jennings’ Flyaway proves that a cattle town in Australia can be as atmospheric and uncanny a setting as the magical forests of the North.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
But just as Ari Aster’s movie Midsommar showed us that there can be dark horror in the unending daylight of a Nordic summer, Kathleen Jennings’ beguiling debut Flyway successfully challenges tradition by transplanting tropes of Gothic, fantasy and supernatural fiction to an Australian context.
The novel(la) is set in a small rural settlement in Western Queensland in the recent past – early to mid-nineties, judging by the references to early internet and mobile phones. The main storyline is narrated by nineteen-year-old Bettina Scott, although between each chapter there are short interludes – fairytale-like stories-within-stories – narrated by other characters. Bettina, we learn, was a feisty teenager, but since the sudden disappearance of her father and two brothers a few years back, she has lived a secluded life under the zealous protection of her mother Nerida. One day, she receives a mysterious message which suggests that her brothers might still be alive. With the help of two old friends, Gary and Trish, she sets out on a modern-day quest, to find her brothers and, in the process, discover hidden truths about her family.
Admittedly, Flyaway takes some time getting into. Jennings does not spell out things for the reader and the first few chapters of the novel felt somewhat disorienting. However, the narrative is well worth the initial effort and as things start falling into place, it gets increasingly gripping. A small hint… it helps to keep some notes about the different characters and the families they belong to – as in any self-respecting Gothic work, surnames are more than just identifiers…
A thrilling blend of Gothic mystery, modern fairytale and folk horror, Kathleen Jennings’ Flyaway proves that a cattle town in Australia can be as atmospheric and uncanny a setting as the magical forests of the North.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
July 22, 2020
“There aren’t any stories except the ones we bring with us,” Trish Aberdeen used to say, stamping into the long grass after school, as if she wanted it to be true (as if she didn’t keep thinking she’d seen wolves and tigers stalking her in the scrub). Gary Damson, who knew better, who suspected Trish knew better too, would hold his tongue.
Because even if she was right, something had to happen to all the stories no one wanted. Histories and memories that had been taken into the trees, beyond the fences and roads–those seams of the world from which reason and civilisation leak–and abandoned.”
Flyaway is the debut by Kathleen Jennings, a writer and illustrator from Australia. I was unaware of this novella until receiving a surprise signed copy from the publisher. The cover certainly caught my eye, which I later learned was done by Jennings herself.
I tend to be quite hit or miss with fairy-tale fantasies. Unfortunately, Flyaway is more of the latter.
The protagonist, Bettina Scott, is 19 when we meet her. Her father and two brothers, Mitch and Chris, disappeared three years prior one night. Living with her controlling mother in the peaceful town of Runagate, Bettina is quiet and reserved. She wasn’t always, however. In fact, she was quite rebellious. After her brothers vanished, many changes have been observed in Bettina by her childhood friends, Gary and Trish. They’ve stopped speaking, until she receives a mysterious letter indicating that one, or both, of her brothers may still be alive. Recruiting the two friends to help her, Bettina goes on a strange journey to uncover the truth.
Alternating between fairy tales that are nestled throughout present-day chapters, Flyaway is reminiscent of A Little Princess with more than a few Alice in Wonderland vibes. One story I loved as a kid, the other I loathed. Much like my feelings towards this slim novella.
This is one of those stories where the atmosphere is more memorable than the characters. The imagery is lush and gorgeous, vivid and immersive. However, I am a character reader first. As much as I love a moody atmosphere, there needs to be characters that populate the book with some substance to keep me interested. Not one character in Flyaway felt fleshed out, not even Bettina.
Jennings is a talented artist. I’m a sucker for artwork, especially within the books. Along with the eye-catching cover, Flyaway has some absolutely lovely chapter header images! They suit the Gothic-Mythology-Fairytale magic, for sure.
Although the style didn’t do it for me, I’m certain that this will find the right audience. Those who adore contemporary folklore and extravagant prose may be just that.
YMMV!
(Thanks to Tor.com Publishing for sending me a surprise copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication**
Because even if she was right, something had to happen to all the stories no one wanted. Histories and memories that had been taken into the trees, beyond the fences and roads–those seams of the world from which reason and civilisation leak–and abandoned.”
Flyaway is the debut by Kathleen Jennings, a writer and illustrator from Australia. I was unaware of this novella until receiving a surprise signed copy from the publisher. The cover certainly caught my eye, which I later learned was done by Jennings herself.
I tend to be quite hit or miss with fairy-tale fantasies. Unfortunately, Flyaway is more of the latter.
The protagonist, Bettina Scott, is 19 when we meet her. Her father and two brothers, Mitch and Chris, disappeared three years prior one night. Living with her controlling mother in the peaceful town of Runagate, Bettina is quiet and reserved. She wasn’t always, however. In fact, she was quite rebellious. After her brothers vanished, many changes have been observed in Bettina by her childhood friends, Gary and Trish. They’ve stopped speaking, until she receives a mysterious letter indicating that one, or both, of her brothers may still be alive. Recruiting the two friends to help her, Bettina goes on a strange journey to uncover the truth.
Alternating between fairy tales that are nestled throughout present-day chapters, Flyaway is reminiscent of A Little Princess with more than a few Alice in Wonderland vibes. One story I loved as a kid, the other I loathed. Much like my feelings towards this slim novella.
This is one of those stories where the atmosphere is more memorable than the characters. The imagery is lush and gorgeous, vivid and immersive. However, I am a character reader first. As much as I love a moody atmosphere, there needs to be characters that populate the book with some substance to keep me interested. Not one character in Flyaway felt fleshed out, not even Bettina.
Jennings is a talented artist. I’m a sucker for artwork, especially within the books. Along with the eye-catching cover, Flyaway has some absolutely lovely chapter header images! They suit the Gothic-Mythology-Fairytale magic, for sure.
Although the style didn’t do it for me, I’m certain that this will find the right audience. Those who adore contemporary folklore and extravagant prose may be just that.
YMMV!
(Thanks to Tor.com Publishing for sending me a surprise copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication**
September 5, 2021
A solid three stars for me because it did eventually pick up.
Disclaimer: this book was SUPER confusing in the beginning. The very first chapter quite literally put me to sleep because it was entirely descriptions of a town. Nothing felt coherent at ALL in the beginning.
Personally not my favorite books to read in general.
I think the thing to keep in mind of what this book is actually about: small town in the middle of nowhere where creepy cryptid-esque creatures are afoot and the main character is a girl who doesn’t remember what actually happened to her missing dad and brothers and tries to discover the truth. Some of the chapters are stories about the creatures and seem random but everything gets tied together.
It was a really short read but the beginning was heavily weighed down with lengthy descriptions that I skimmed over and a ton of confusion and lack of a coherent narrative.
It does, eventually, start making a little bit of sense, and gets a bit compelling as you try to figure out what happened, and then it ends.
I can’t say I really liked it all that much, it kind of read as a short story meant to be like a creepy fairytale (whereas I was expecting full novel, since I downloaded the arc from Netgalley I hadn’t realized it was a novella) so I think this is a read that would depend heavily on personal preferences and mood.
Disclaimer: this book was SUPER confusing in the beginning. The very first chapter quite literally put me to sleep because it was entirely descriptions of a town. Nothing felt coherent at ALL in the beginning.
Personally not my favorite books to read in general.
I think the thing to keep in mind of what this book is actually about: small town in the middle of nowhere where creepy cryptid-esque creatures are afoot and the main character is a girl who doesn’t remember what actually happened to her missing dad and brothers and tries to discover the truth. Some of the chapters are stories about the creatures and seem random but everything gets tied together.
It was a really short read but the beginning was heavily weighed down with lengthy descriptions that I skimmed over and a ton of confusion and lack of a coherent narrative.
It does, eventually, start making a little bit of sense, and gets a bit compelling as you try to figure out what happened, and then it ends.
I can’t say I really liked it all that much, it kind of read as a short story meant to be like a creepy fairytale (whereas I was expecting full novel, since I downloaded the arc from Netgalley I hadn’t realized it was a novella) so I think this is a read that would depend heavily on personal preferences and mood.
January 11, 2020
This is an hallucinatory fever dream of a fairy tale that kept me up past my bed time just so that I could finish.
December 13, 2020
this is one of those works that, while weak in execution, was so linguistically beautiful i know i’ll be returning to it in the future
August 22, 2020
Utterly compelling. Dark and light. This Gothic fable that can only have been crafted from the blood-soaked dirt and rust and trees and sky and wire-fenced towns of Western Queensland. Jennings' prose is beguiling, making me want to linger over the words, take them in. I loved how the stories within stories were limned by older fairy tales that conjured reminiscences from my childhood: the gruesome, unsanitised Grimms. Highly recommended. And like the best fairy tales, will be read again and again.
October 28, 2020
Magical writing perfect for a fairytale Australian gothic story.
The author relies much on our colonial settler past and the supernatural spirits of the old country, gives an English/Irish village folklore feel to the story. There's traces of Little Red riding hood lost in the forest and Briar Rose's thorny dense impenetrable thickets covering a school house, but those are only small parts of the overall story.
One I may go back and reread the prose is fabulous. An amazing debut.
"That triangle tangle of roads and tracks held the district of Inglewell: hills and scrub glittered in the powder-white light, fading to chalk blue; sharp grasses fluttered pale in the paddocks, green and burgundy on the verge; grey huts subsided into themselves like memory. Then the plunge into purple shadows, the troll-rattle of an old timber bridge, a secret of dim emerald and the barrier-shriek of cicadas. Then up again, sky-tumbled, grass-fogged."
Just magical prose.
The author relies much on our colonial settler past and the supernatural spirits of the old country, gives an English/Irish village folklore feel to the story. There's traces of Little Red riding hood lost in the forest and Briar Rose's thorny dense impenetrable thickets covering a school house, but those are only small parts of the overall story.
One I may go back and reread the prose is fabulous. An amazing debut.
"That triangle tangle of roads and tracks held the district of Inglewell: hills and scrub glittered in the powder-white light, fading to chalk blue; sharp grasses fluttered pale in the paddocks, green and burgundy on the verge; grey huts subsided into themselves like memory. Then the plunge into purple shadows, the troll-rattle of an old timber bridge, a secret of dim emerald and the barrier-shriek of cicadas. Then up again, sky-tumbled, grass-fogged."
Just magical prose.
Shelved as 'nope-dnf'
February 3, 202411% I feel so lost. WHO are all these random characters? Names names names lol.
DNF 36%....I really gave this one a chance and maybe it does have some great conclusion that ties all these random pieces and people together. But I'm so lost and I feel like by this point something should be clicking.
Such a disappointment honestly from those quotes on the back of the book cover that totally sold me on this one.
DNF 36%....I really gave this one a chance and maybe it does have some great conclusion that ties all these random pieces and people together. But I'm so lost and I feel like by this point something should be clicking.
Such a disappointment honestly from those quotes on the back of the book cover that totally sold me on this one.
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November 5, 2020This book simply isn't grabbing my attention right now. I can probably attribute this more to all the turmoil going on right now rather than to the book itself. DNF.
March 10, 2022
Written by Australian Kathleen Jennings, Flyaway is a novella full of stories within stories, delivered in a shroud of myth, legend, folklore and superstition that kept me guessing.
Our protagonist Bettina has a mysterious past and she's determined to find out what happened to her brothers - and herself - several years ago.
Set in outback Australia, the beautiful writing, evocative descriptions and imagery brought the once familiar landscape to life in a new and eerie light. The rural area was both peaceful and menacing, the town a haven for a close knit community as well as a place seething under the surface with fear and mistrust.
A combination of urban fantasy and magical realism, Flyaway is full of mysterious disappearances, creatures that lurk in the shadows and a slight otherness that you can never quite put your finger on.
The structure, lyrical prose and fairytale elements reminded me a great deal of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. And just like that book, I enjoyed the writing, the world building and stories within stories, but I was never confident of maintaining a full and clear picture of what was actually happening at any given time.
Presented with an exquisite cover design and french flaps, Flyaway is a gothic Australian fairytale that might just penetrate the pages into your subconscious.
After letting this book settle in my mind, I realised I feel the same way about this as I do The Starless Sea. I loved it but there were definitely elements of reader confusion and matters unresolved. For instance, I wanted to learn more about Bettina's mother and her own transformation during the intervening years.
Nevertheless, Flyaway is a smashing literary debut by Kathleen Jennings and I'm sure awards will follow.
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *
Our protagonist Bettina has a mysterious past and she's determined to find out what happened to her brothers - and herself - several years ago.
Set in outback Australia, the beautiful writing, evocative descriptions and imagery brought the once familiar landscape to life in a new and eerie light. The rural area was both peaceful and menacing, the town a haven for a close knit community as well as a place seething under the surface with fear and mistrust.
A combination of urban fantasy and magical realism, Flyaway is full of mysterious disappearances, creatures that lurk in the shadows and a slight otherness that you can never quite put your finger on.
The structure, lyrical prose and fairytale elements reminded me a great deal of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. And just like that book, I enjoyed the writing, the world building and stories within stories, but I was never confident of maintaining a full and clear picture of what was actually happening at any given time.
Presented with an exquisite cover design and french flaps, Flyaway is a gothic Australian fairytale that might just penetrate the pages into your subconscious.
After letting this book settle in my mind, I realised I feel the same way about this as I do The Starless Sea. I loved it but there were definitely elements of reader confusion and matters unresolved. For instance, I wanted to learn more about Bettina's mother and her own transformation during the intervening years.
Nevertheless, Flyaway is a smashing literary debut by Kathleen Jennings and I'm sure awards will follow.
* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *
December 16, 2023
First of all, the creepy cover design is awesome! Beautiful yet uncanny just like the story in this novella.
The novella follows Bettina (Tina) Scott, a nineteen year old woman who lives with her conservative, prim and manipulative mother. Three years after the inexplicable disappearance of her father and brothers, when she receives a note with 'YOU COWARD, TINK' sprawled on it, she sets on finding her long-lost-thought-to-be-dead brothers and to fill the gaping holes in her memory with the help of her two childhood friends, Gary and Patricia.
I don't actually have enough words to describe the writing 'cause it completely blew me away! The novel is set in fictional district called Inglewell and the atmosphere is just alluringly eerie, frightening beautiful and perfect (I am falling in short of words again). I loved the way in which urban legends where interwoven with the pasts of almost each and every character. I gradually got immersed into the novella and was completely astounded by the revelation at the end. The start was a bit confusing but I guess it was deliberately done to give the reader mystery chills.
I feel that 'Flyaway' is a kind of novella that the reader would completely love or completely hate. I, fortunately, just loved the book. But I do totally recommend this novella because it's completely worth taking the risk and Kathleen Jennings is definitely an author to look out for.
I thank NetGalley and Macmillan/Tor-Forge for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review this book by providing e-arc. All opinion are my own.
The novella follows Bettina (Tina) Scott, a nineteen year old woman who lives with her conservative, prim and manipulative mother. Three years after the inexplicable disappearance of her father and brothers, when she receives a note with 'YOU COWARD, TINK' sprawled on it, she sets on finding her long-lost-thought-to-be-dead brothers and to fill the gaping holes in her memory with the help of her two childhood friends, Gary and Patricia.
I don't actually have enough words to describe the writing 'cause it completely blew me away! The novel is set in fictional district called Inglewell and the atmosphere is just alluringly eerie, frightening beautiful and perfect (I am falling in short of words again). I loved the way in which urban legends where interwoven with the pasts of almost each and every character. I gradually got immersed into the novella and was completely astounded by the revelation at the end. The start was a bit confusing but I guess it was deliberately done to give the reader mystery chills.
I feel that 'Flyaway' is a kind of novella that the reader would completely love or completely hate. I, fortunately, just loved the book. But I do totally recommend this novella because it's completely worth taking the risk and Kathleen Jennings is definitely an author to look out for.
I thank NetGalley and Macmillan/Tor-Forge for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review this book by providing e-arc. All opinion are my own.
July 5, 2021
➸ Trigger warnings for .
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April 26, 2020Kathleen creates a sense of dread early on with staccato sentences and detailed descriptions. From there you get involved with the protagonist slowly breaking away from her mothers' constant strange comments and embarks on a search for her missing father and brothers with two people she knows but whose friendship is fraught with tensions of their own. There are references and allegories of classic fairytales littered throughout the story.
Kathleen deftly builds the sense of something not quite right in this world her mother has created like a bubble around the two of them until Bettina finally learns the truth of her family... This story is full of folklore and myth with an edge of darkness that is purely Gothic.
- Robin
Kathleen deftly builds the sense of something not quite right in this world her mother has created like a bubble around the two of them until Bettina finally learns the truth of her family... This story is full of folklore and myth with an edge of darkness that is purely Gothic.
- Robin
August 4, 2019
A tale of small-town claustrophobia, family strife and secrets, and stories within stories, set against a backdrop of a uniquely Australian landscape so vivid you can smell the dust and eucalyptus.
August 3, 2020
Woooow! This has been a delightful read.
I love Kathleen Jennings's writing style.
The story is like a dark fairy tale, full of magic, mystery and darkness.
Once you start reading, it gets difficult to stop. You are already immersed in the story. You are now a part of the story, and, as well as the characters from Runagate, you cannot simply leave the town.
Another thing I really liked was the stories between chapters. You can see they are inspired by popular fairy tales.
The cover (this US version) is absolutely wondeful! Please, look at all those details. You can see the creative process here.
Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I love Kathleen Jennings's writing style.
The story is like a dark fairy tale, full of magic, mystery and darkness.
Once you start reading, it gets difficult to stop. You are already immersed in the story. You are now a part of the story, and, as well as the characters from Runagate, you cannot simply leave the town.
Another thing I really liked was the stories between chapters. You can see they are inspired by popular fairy tales.
The cover (this US version) is absolutely wondeful! Please, look at all those details. You can see the creative process here.
Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
May 11, 2021
Fantastic atmosphere of creeping horror, only the slightest bit marred by being over-explained at the end.
July 20, 2020
More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind
This is a really bad case of "it's not you, it's me". To be fair, I never would have picked this up on my own, but the publisher were kind enough to send this one alongside another proof I requested. While these kinds of stories always seem so interesting and wonderful to me, I know that I do not vibe well with fairytale-esque narratives.
I am hugely dependent on characters in my reading, I cannot focus nor stand a story that puts characters second and fairytales tend to do just that. Most characters in fairytale narratives are pretty one-dimensional, and the story is more about the concept and mostly about the atmosphere. While I can appreciate those from afar and while I can acknowledge this as something clever and interesting, I just cannot care.
I was also a tiny bit disappointed not to find a really strong voice or prose in this. I really hoped for a magical, poetic writing style and I did not really get it.
I really do think that if you're someone who really appreciates atmosphere and fairytale components (so weird happenings, creatures of all kinds, curses etc.) you will love this one. I am just not that reader.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early proof of this book. All opinions are my own.
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This is a really bad case of "it's not you, it's me". To be fair, I never would have picked this up on my own, but the publisher were kind enough to send this one alongside another proof I requested. While these kinds of stories always seem so interesting and wonderful to me, I know that I do not vibe well with fairytale-esque narratives.
I am hugely dependent on characters in my reading, I cannot focus nor stand a story that puts characters second and fairytales tend to do just that. Most characters in fairytale narratives are pretty one-dimensional, and the story is more about the concept and mostly about the atmosphere. While I can appreciate those from afar and while I can acknowledge this as something clever and interesting, I just cannot care.
I was also a tiny bit disappointed not to find a really strong voice or prose in this. I really hoped for a magical, poetic writing style and I did not really get it.
I really do think that if you're someone who really appreciates atmosphere and fairytale components (so weird happenings, creatures of all kinds, curses etc.) you will love this one. I am just not that reader.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early proof of this book. All opinions are my own.
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February 27, 2021
A surreal blend of mystery and folklore, this lyrical novella is as tangled as the lantern-bush vines that creep and consume the town at the center of the story.
This is the kind of book where I couldn't fully grasp the plot, but I just let my senses take over and enjoyed the journey. It reminded me of Stephen Graham Jones or Karen Russell, that sort of ungraspable, slippery storytelling style that nevertheless pulls you in and holds you captive.
The chapters flip back and forth between Bettina and her friends as they search for the truth about what happened to her family and fairytales about shapeshifters, lost towns, and bagpipers. It's all just legends and myths, right? Not exactly! This tale is a perfect example of the strange stories we tell and pass down and how there might be more than a kernel of truth to them.
This is the kind of book where I couldn't fully grasp the plot, but I just let my senses take over and enjoyed the journey. It reminded me of Stephen Graham Jones or Karen Russell, that sort of ungraspable, slippery storytelling style that nevertheless pulls you in and holds you captive.
The chapters flip back and forth between Bettina and her friends as they search for the truth about what happened to her family and fairytales about shapeshifters, lost towns, and bagpipers. It's all just legends and myths, right? Not exactly! This tale is a perfect example of the strange stories we tell and pass down and how there might be more than a kernel of truth to them.
January 18, 2021
I may scream at the Aussies for their cricketing exploits, but there currently is one thing they are doing well, their horror writing.
In particular two young women writers. Kaaron Warren's Into Bones like Oil which was one of my favourite novels of last year. And now this, another novella, and a debut also. Jennings's book may not be quite as good as Warren's, but I say that in a good way - its got weird elements that require some careful reading... Indeed, part of its strength is that it is so very different.
19 year old Bettina Scott lives a quiet life with her mother in the rural town of Runagate, when her routine is disrupted by strange happenings and an anonymous letter which brings up painful memories of lost father and brothers three years previously.
There's an 'Angela Carter' feel to the book, though it is its own thing, Carter brought into the 2020s perhaps.. There's a strong link to the environment and wilderness, through the references to the unique flora and fauna of the area, and the deft handling of folklore. The combination of beauty and the tangible sense of magic and otherworldliness make this a memorable piece of work.
Its really exciting when a young author like Jennings emerges with such a wonderful debut.. what will she come up with next?
In particular two young women writers. Kaaron Warren's Into Bones like Oil which was one of my favourite novels of last year. And now this, another novella, and a debut also. Jennings's book may not be quite as good as Warren's, but I say that in a good way - its got weird elements that require some careful reading... Indeed, part of its strength is that it is so very different.
19 year old Bettina Scott lives a quiet life with her mother in the rural town of Runagate, when her routine is disrupted by strange happenings and an anonymous letter which brings up painful memories of lost father and brothers three years previously.
There's an 'Angela Carter' feel to the book, though it is its own thing, Carter brought into the 2020s perhaps.. There's a strong link to the environment and wilderness, through the references to the unique flora and fauna of the area, and the deft handling of folklore. The combination of beauty and the tangible sense of magic and otherworldliness make this a memorable piece of work.
Its really exciting when a young author like Jennings emerges with such a wonderful debut.. what will she come up with next?
August 25, 2021
Bettina, living a quiet life with her mother since the disappearance of the men in her family, begins to fill in the gaps in her memory about what happened to them and to the person she used to be. I like Australian gothic, its unique anxieties and atmosphere born of the tension between the bush and colonialist sensibilities and history; I love to see creatives approach the genre in increasingly refined and critical ways. But my appreciation of Flyaway is predominantly theoretical; I took a while to warm to the actual text. The inset nature of the short stories and paper cutouts are hit and miss--great subject matter, but respectively samey and unintegrated in execution. But what I really struggled with was the names, with differentiating families and occasionally characters, and placing them in the larger plot. More distinct names could combat this, but it's more likely that I just ... don't care about the social tableau, which kept me at a distance from the magic and atmosphere for too much of the text. So I didn't like this as much as I wanted to, but I don't regret reading it and I want to read more like it--the style and genre, always, but more by Jennings in particular as she matures as an author.
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