The Strength of Old Shale by Kirsty Powell

Kirsty Powell won the NZ Booklovers Fiction Award for her first novel, and her new novel is just as brilliant.

When the bones of a mother and her child, wrapped in a Shetland lace shawl, are dug up from a forgotten graveyard, two worlds collide – Ariel in the modern day, and Isbell in 1861.

Ariel was raised in the small republic of Whangamōmona, a rural upbringing that has made her tough. But when a woman is killed in a car accident – a nemesis from her childhood – and Ariel has no recollection of the accident and is facing serious charges in court, her world seems to be imploding.

Ariel has been haunted for some time by dreams of her dead mother and a dead childhood friend, but now her nemesis adds to her nightmares. She retreats to university in Dunedin and tries to ignore the growing speculation as she works on a site, retrieving old bones from a former gold mine. When one of the deceased is found to be related to her after doing DNA tests, another dead person is added to her nightmares, as she dreads the approaching court date, now knowing that she might be charged with murder. Will her lawyer, Brin, be able to save her? And how is Mickey, the cousin with a mental age of seven, involved?

Isbell is also tough and running away from ghosts. She makes her way to the New Zealand goldfields and works for Cobb and Co., caring for their coach horses, a task for which she has a great talent. But will she finally let her defences down and let love in?

Locations include Whangamōmona, Dunedin, and the New Zealand goldfields. The plot and characters of this beautifully written novel will captivate as they face challenging issues. It’s a moving and compelling story and just the right blend of fascinating history and fiction.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Cloud Ink Press