Skin

A gorgeous folkloric novel of water and love… You should read this and you should also read Kerry’s Swansong. It’s a rare thing to see folklore woven into beautiful, tender human reality with such delicacy and skills – Zoe Gilbert, author of Folk and Mischief ActsKerry Andrew is that rare thing, a natural storyteller with one of those quietly confident voices that takes you by the cuff and leads you down unexpected passages. In the finest tradition of quest tales, Skin’s protagonist sets out in search of one thing and ends by discovering quite another and both they and the reader grow a little as a result – Patrick GaleAndrew’s wonderful second novel is the deeply involving story of a difficult childhood, a search for a long-missing parent, how we view our bodies and the secrets we keep even from those who know us best. – 75 Books for 2021 * i Newspaper *A sweeping coming-of-age narrative whose on-point themes of gender and sexuality are embedded in evocative descriptions of London during the 1980s, and of boomtime Ireland a decade later * Mail Online *This evocative and sensitive tale is grounded by the authentic complexity of its characters… Inspired. – Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *Artfully paced, with queer undercurrents, this novel is tender and totally enveloping. – Uli Lenart * Attitude *An atmospheric creation… Skin stirs with references to water myths, from selkies and mermaids to sirens and cursed bodies of water. – Bidisha * Observer *I felt a real sense of loss when I read the last page. I didn’t want this book to end. Andrew’s writing is tender, beautiful, perfectly weighted. A writer we are immensely lucky to have. – Daisy JohnsonA gloriously raw and watery adventure, fraught with fluidity, teen-angst and identity; an update of Ovid’s transformations and Catcher in the Rye, re-gendered in the Hampstead ponds and the deeper waters, far beyond… – Philip HoareA brilliant, moving, tender, queer story. Highly recommended – Meg-John Barker, author of Queer: A Graphic Guide

Kerry Andrew is a London-based author and musician, whose debut novel Swansong was described as a ‘darkly captivating tale of myth, magic and sinister secrets’ by the Mail on Sunday, and whose ‘To Belong To’ was shortlisted for the 2018 BBC National Short Story Award. Kerry is the winner of four British Composer Awards, and best known for experimental vocal, choral and music-theatre work, often based around themes of community, landscape and myth. Kerry has released two albums with the band You Are Wolf- Hawk to the Hunting Gone (2014), a collection of avian folk-songs re-interpreted, and Keld (2018), inspired by freshwater folklore. ‘One Swallow’ was Kerry’s short story debut on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.

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