Metronome - Tom Watson

Genre: Literary Fiction

Release Date: Expected 22nd March 2022

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

It all started with a Sheep. Or ended, depending how you look at it.

Aina and Whitney had lived their quiet lives at Long Sky Croft, the small Island where they served their exile, for twelve long years, tethered to the spot by the threat of death if they don't take a pill three times a day to survive. But the day the Warden was finally meant to come and free them, everything went wrong. Their supplies were faltering, ships were washing up on the shore, and nobody came for them ... except one sheep. And sheep can't swim, can they?

Realising they are hopelessly alone, Aina starts to think of a way back to the family and the life they left behind - and soon starts to suspect they're not as alone as she thinks, and that might be even scarier.

Metronome was an atmospheric, slow moving tale but every moment was full of a strange kind of wonder. I was drawn in by the simplistic beauty of the cover and the single worded-title, only to find a story that may seem simple on the surface but is anything but underneath.

The setting was breathtaking - a surreal island, surrounded by permafrost, almost every inch of it mapped out yet still feeling so unknown. I could see everything vividly, feel their home, the water surrounding them and the land they painstakingly tended. Each character felt distinct and crafted brilliantly - Aina and Whitney had full lives before they were on the Island, lives that shaped them into the people they are now.

Eerie, chilling and hauntingly beautiful - Metronome is a tale about the end of the world in a way, but what that really means to each individual person.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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