Overview

When Scottie Bains escapes to the windswept archipelago of St Hía after years of heartbreak, she finds an island steeped in myth. The Hollow Sea, as locals call it, is said to echo with the voices of lost women. As Scottie delves into the legend of Thordis, a banished witch, her search for meaning collides with the island’s haunting history.

Writing & Voice

Annie Kirby writes with lyrical precision and emotional restraint. Her prose moves like the sea itself—rhythmic, unpredictable, and resonant with sorrow. The alternating timelines between modern-day Scottie and Thordis’s ancient myth flow seamlessly, building a mood that feels timeless yet intimate. It’s a slow, immersive reading experience that rewards patient attention.

Characters

Scottie’s vulnerability and quiet resilience form the heart of the novel. Her journey from isolation to self-acceptance mirrors Thordis’s fate centuries before. The supporting islanders, full of superstition and empathy, ground the ethereal tone in human truth. Both women’s stories intertwine to explore what it means to be seen and to belong.

Themes

The Hollow Sea examines womanhood, grief, and the ways myth shapes identity. Kirby explores infertility, exile, and how storytelling binds generations. The island’s folklore serves as a mirror for collective memory—how societies punish difference and how healing comes from reclaiming one’s own narrative amid silence and storm.

What Worked

• Evocative atmosphere: The remote island setting is vividly drawn, alive with wind, salt, and myth.
• Emotional depth: The handling of infertility and grief feels honest and compassionate.
• Elegant structure: Dual narratives enhance rather than distract from the emotional arc.

Minor Quibbles

• The pacing drifts in the middle chapters as reflection overtakes plot.
• Some readers may crave a clearer resolution to the story’s mysteries.

Final Thoughts

A beautifully wrought debut that blends myth, emotion, and place, The Hollow Sea is both a story of personal loss and a meditation on how legends echo through time. Annie Kirby delivers a haunting, compassionate novel that lingers long after the tide has gone out.

Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)