A Girl Made of Air is the sparkling, magical and intriguing debut novel from Nydia Hetherington. Full of magic, mystery and folktale A Girl Made of Air is the story of Mouse, a girl born into a circus family. Her parents are wrapped up in each other and themselves and neglect her so that she is often cold, hungry and dirty, but all that changes when she meets Serendipity Wilson a flame haired tightrope walker who takes care of her and teaches her how to walk the tightrope. Mouse grows up to become "The Greatest Funamublist Who Ever Lived." The story is told through diary entries, letters, newspaper articles and Mouse's own reminiscences looking back on her own early life in postwar Britain describing the world of the circus and the many and various personalities. It is also a mystery as it explores the question of what happened to Serendipity's child Bunny. The Circus setting and some of the fairytale elements of this book, might make a potential reader think that it's whimsical or lighthearted but it's in fact quite dark in places exploring the impact of trauma and neglect, and the comfort of found family. The folktale elements add an extra layer of intrigue and mystery as both Serendipity and Mouse's Mother Marina have a mythical and mysterious past and I particularly enjoyed those aspects. Nydia Hetherington is a talented new writer to watch and this book will have undoubted appeal to fans of Christina Henry, Erin Morgenstern and Angela Carter. Thanks so much to Quercus and Netgalley for my copy.
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