Queer Magic, Pagan History | Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Title: Sistersong
Author: Lucy Holland
Published: October 5, 2021
Genre(s): Fantasy
Page Count: 416
Rating:

Summary from Goodreads:

In the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, there is old magic to be found in the whisper of the wind, the roots of the trees, and the curl of the grass. King Cador knew this once, but now the land has turned from him, calling instead to his three children. Riva can cure others, but can’t seem to heal her own deep scars. Keyne battles to be accepted for who he truly is—the king’s son. And Sinne dreams of seeing the world, of finding adventure.

All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold, their people’s last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. However, change comes on the day ash falls from the sky. It brings with it Myrdhin, meddler and magician. And Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear them apart.

Riva, Keyne and Sinne—three siblings entangled in a web of treachery and heartbreak, who must fight to forge their own paths.

Their story will shape the destiny of Britain.

Part history, part fantasy, part myth—Lucy Holland’s debut novel, Sistersong, is a haunting, brilliant story about three siblings and the choices they make in pursuit of their ideal future. It’s about blood relations versus chosen family, old gods versus new, and respecting the social order versus honoring your true self. I love this book so much, not because it’s incredibly well-written (although it is), but because it’s one of those rare and wonderful tales where the author seems to have custom-made a novel just for me, with my particular likes and dislikes in mind. 

We are in Britain, the 6th century. Rome has abandoned the isles, and a new power has stepped in to fill the void: the Saxons. In the southwest, the kingdom of Dumnonia resists the forces of Cerdric of Wessex (and his monstrous son, Cynric). But the king has abandoned the gods in favor of the new Christian faith. Old magic is leaving the people when it is most needed. And the king’s three children are reaching adulthood now, as the world around them begins to shatter.

This are the real-life events Holland has drawn from. Cerdric the Saxon, Gildas the Priest, Constantine of Dumnonia are all real historical figures whom you can look up on Wikipedia. But Sistersong isn’t historical fiction. Instead, it follows the tradition of Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series, imagining the British Isles as a land of power and enchantment now lost to time. This book is also a splendid retelling of “The Twa Sisters,” an old English folk ballad about two sisters whose bitter rivalry for the same man results in the murder of one at the hands of the other. (You will note, however, that in Lucy Holland’s version of events, there are three siblings, not two.)

Clearly, there are several balls to be juggled with Sistersong: history, fantasy, retelling. I’m happy to report that Holland not only manages it, but succeeds very well. To be completely honest, this book sneaked up on me with how great it is. The first few chapters, my impression was “okay, cool, a story about sisters with magic powers and some Saxon raids or whatnot,” and somewhere along the way it shifted to “what a stunning synthesis of history and fable, what a bittersweet story of queer triumph and the tricky politics of sibling relationships” (only a bit more incoherent, because the book is so good, y’all).  

As might be guessed, this is a story about sisters. Riva, the eldest: well-read and intelligent and proud of the old magic, but terribly scarred and lonely. Sinne, the youngest: powerful beyond her own understanding, reckless, beautiful, desperate for a handsome prince to sweep her away to see the world. And Keyne, the middle child: awkward, angry, fighting to be truly seen and to find a place in this world. Each gets their turn to narrate, to explain things from their own perspective. Though one sibling eventually comes to feel more like the true protagonist, it’s only because of the way the story unfolds, not because the author fails to fully shine the spotlight upon any character. Even better, Holland manages somehow to tell the story in such a way that even when the siblings’ interests are pitted directly against each other (I mean, it’s not a spoiler to say that Riva maybe-kinda-sorta murders Sinne), you never forget that they love each other. There’s a family bond running through this book that is hard to describe and likely hard to capture with written words, because it’s affection or friendship; it’s something else, something bigger and more important but difficult to grasp. But whatever it is, there is a whole lot of sisterhood in Sistersong, and I mean it in every possible sense.

What I think is so stunning about Sistersong is the way Holland does more than weave a backstory for the gruesome original, “The Twa Sisters.” She does do that, of course—the author explains how and why two sisters came to argue over a man, resulting in the drowning of the younger sister. My understanding is that the original song isn’t specific to the Saxon conquest, so I think it was clever and very fitting for Holland to chose this time period—and that very specific love interest—as the subject of her adaptation. Truly, if Sistersong had just been about Riva and Sinne, it would have been an amazing book. But there is also Keyne. Keyne is not in the original ballad, is left out of the titular sistersong and all the legends that will be told about this family over the centuries. But even thought his character isn’t original to the source material, it is Keyne’s story that forms the through-line of the novel. Keyne’s coming of age—the ascent from misfit daughter to anointed king—is the centerpiece of this story. It takes genius and guts to take a 400-year-old folk song and convince people that there was a critical piece missing all along, and Lucy Holland clearly has both.

And what is a successful adaption, if not media that looks at the original work with a new perspective, then tweaks things just enough so that meaning is added, rather than lost?

Sistersong is a gorgeous novel about pagan magic, a world at war, and three sisters—one of whom who will change his name and become king. Everything about this book is perfect, from the prose to the plot to the hauntingly bittersweet epilogue. This is one of those rare books that I love so much that I’m sad I can never experience it again for the first time. A beautiful, brilliant book.