"In Water, a grieving woman named Willow moves to a remote Irish island after her husband is jailed for horrific crimes. In Earth, Evan is a footballer on trial as an accessory to rape. In Fire, the adult Freya juggles revenge with her work as a surgeon. And in Air, a father flies to a funeral with his teenage son, and wonders how much to divulge about his family's past."
"Trauma is piled on trauma as wounded survivors seem doomed to bump into each other again and again for eternity Connections abound. We first meet Evan as a boy trying to escape the island of Water. His trial's jury contains the Freya who reappears in Fire. Aaron, the father from Air, works with Freya and has a child with Willow's daughter. Supporting characters from one account reappear in cottages, pubs or courtrooms in another."
The Elements collects four linked novellas published between 2023 and 2025 that follow characters negotiating past trauma and seeking peace. The stories include Water, about Willow relocating to a remote Irish island after her husband's imprisonment for horrific crimes; Earth, about Evan, a footballer on trial as an accessory to rape; Fire, which follows Freya as an adult balancing revenge and surgical work; and Air, in which a father flies to a funeral with his teenage son and contemplates family disclosure. Recurring themes include homophobia, media influence, parental neglect, sexual violence, and repeated intersections among wounded survivors.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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