I really like a book that makes you work things out and speculate what is going to happen, and this is definitely one of those books. It’s true that the beginning feels a little bit mysterious, like we’re thrown right into the story without much of an idea what’s going on or who anyone is, but I loved it. However, I found myself racing through the story almost straight away. The general consensus of others who have read Sawkill Girls is that the beginning feels far too slow and some found it difficult to get through before the action got going. What is it that is brutally stealing these girls in the night? And what can Marion, Zoe, and Val do to stop it from happening? Review: the Story, Characters, and LGBTQ+ Representation The Story But one thing is for sure: girls are being taken, and it’s happening more frequently. People either believe the stories or dispel them as myths. The island has a mystical and secretive history that we learn about as the story develops: for over a century, girls have been going missing, taken by an unknown force that people simply call “the Collector”. The story mostly follows three girls: Marion who has just moved to the island with her mum and sister Charlotte Zoey, who moved to the island a few years ago with her father, a police officer and Val, a queen bee whose family practically runs the whole island. Sawkill Girls is set on the mysterious island of Sawkill Rock. You can read their blog post (in which I’m mentioned!) about the book club meeting here. However, my friends Sarah and Sophie at The Little Contemporary Corner announced that they’d chosen the book as their October read for their LGBTQ+ book club, so I decided to join in! Although their book club is hosted in-person in Manchester, they put up a Google form each month so people can still share their opinions virtually if they’re unable to attend. It was one I’d heard a lot about, but that was about it. I bought a copy of Sawkill Girls at this year’s YALC (with £5 hardbacks, who can resist?!) but I didn’t have any immediate plans to read it.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand