BOOK OF THE WEEK

When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà, Granta, £12.99

With the European Prize for literature – amongst other awards – already under her belt, When I Sing, Mountains Dance is Catalan author Irene Solà’s second novel in which she conjures a poetic tale with both wonder and wit. Although we centre on a family, the story is of the interconnected elements that make up the small village high in the Pyrenees. Solà gives voice to men, women and children in the community, but also to the animals, mushrooms, and trees to give life to the history of this remote setting.

Opening with a chapter from the perspective of lightning, slowly building to a crescendo, Domenec, a father and poet, is struck in the process and killed.

His widow and children, Mia and Hilari, are left behind to reckon with this. Fundamentally, this is a story about the figurative (and literal) ghosts that haunt the community.

The Spanish civil war hangs heavy in the air, and on the ground – in one chapter a child plays with an unexploded grenade – and it is clear this region has not forgotten the impact.

At 196 pages, this slim novel may lull the reader into a false sense of security that this will be a quick read. However, each chapter is almost like learning a new language as we adapt to a new perspective, and sometimes even a new species of narrator.

Solà’s prose is rich and mystical, which can take time to adjust to, and you may find yourself returning to passages and finding a new meaning on second reading.

Credit must be given to Mara Faye Letham’s translation, interpreting such a deliberately abstract story into such a coherent and beautiful read is no mean feat. In conversation with fellow author Eve Balthasar, Solà explained, ‘the moment of writing a novel, for me, has a lot to do with living inside it.’

This comes across on the page, as if Solà has mentally inhabited her Pyreneesian landscape during her writing process, allowing her to build a visceral picture of this region and those who occupy it.

It is probably advisable to go into this novel with few expectations. While there are clear themes, this novel is not didactic, inviting the reader to draw their own conclusions. Fans of last year’s Women’s Prize winner, Piranesi, should find something for them, and those new to the lyrical style may find themselves absorbed in a new world.