The Fires of Bride: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: The Fires of Bride: read it for its fabulous imagery!
Review: Ellen Galford's second novel is as rollicking, windswept and surprising as the island on which it is set, Cailleach of the Outer Hebrides. Fans of "The Dyke and the Dybbuk" will recoginize Galford's use of frame narratives, semi-reliable narrators and her re-envisioning of the underside of religious doctrine, all from an intelligently sexy lesbian perspective. Here, instead of mystical Judaism, Galford mines Gaelic folklore, Goddess inflected Christianity-- and satires self-serious Calvinism. The artistic outpourings of the central character Maria Milleney create a feast of visions which amplify both the mystical and humorous dimensions of the story (and the story within it). If you stick with Galford through the novel's sharp curves, you'll find a world you'll not want to leave.