"A beautiful fantasy"
Six years ago Richard Brennan fled Scotland following
the death of his wife because he could not cope with the
memories and his subsequent grief. Now, he takes an all
day and night flight home from Australia to attend his
father's funeral. Ironically, his father, an architect,
drowned just like Richard's spouse did. To escape his latest sorrow that his current residence
reminds him of with every nook and cranny, and his
bewilderment about fate, Richard plays his fiddle in gigs
in the nearby pubs. Still feeling alone, he wonders if he
finally is losing his mind when Ailish appears ecstatically
dancing and singing under the seaside moonlight. Richard
joins her music with his fiddle, but soon loses his heart
and soul to this siren of the sea. SWIM THE MOON is a beautiful fantasy that provides
imagery rarely seen in a novel whether it is Ailish or
Richard's music, or the Northern Scottish coast. Richard
is a haunting individual tormented by his love-hate for the
sea that holds the mysteries of his family and his new love
Ailish. Though some of the dialogue seems stilted, perhaps
because the story line is so beautifully written, Paul
Brandon's debut tale is a throwback to the bards of yore
when poetry painted landscapes of the soul. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted September 4, 2001
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