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Eithe's Way
Eithe is a young woman uncertain of her place in life - even her name is an ambiguity bestowed upon her by a mother who fails to survive her disastrous birth. Locked into a destructive and abusive relationship, Eithe - who is stronger than she knows - makes a momentous and life changing decision when she takes her fate into her own hands and escapes into an adventure of self-discovery. As Eithe begins to explore this sudden freedom, she finds herself unexpectedly in the middle of another more sinister reality where she embarks on a metaphysical journey with 'the man in the mirror'.
Eithe's Way has all the elements of a mystery thriller: it has cops and the ultimate robbers of our age; it has bad guys and quarry; it is thoroughly modern in its themes and nuances. Darkly humorous and at times brutal, this story of the transience and impermanence of life is written in an elegant style that takes us into the 'other world', where the veil between the living and the not quite dead is at its thinnest.
Eithe's Way has all the elements of a mystery thriller: it has cops and the ultimate robbers of our age; it has bad guys and quarry; it is thoroughly modern in its themes and nuances. Darkly humorous and at times brutal, this story of the transience and impermanence of life is written in an elegant style that takes us into the 'other world', where the veil between the living and the not quite dead is at its thinnest.
298 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2014
7 people want to read
About the author
Rhian Waller
11 books38 followersRhian spends a lot of her time lost (in thought, in books, in general).
She has had numerous short stories and poems published in zines.
Her first book, Eithe's Way, won the Write Factor Shortlist award and was published by the Write Factor in 2013.
Ship Rats, her first children's book and part one of the Rat Tales Trilogy, was self-published to raise funds for APOPO HeroRATs. It won the Gold Wishing Shelf award for the 5-8 age category for 2017.
Collectively, the trilogy has raised more than £1,500 for the organisation.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2014
What do The Sin Eater, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog and The Gremlins have in common?
If you are Welsh, a literary buff, or even both, the answer is easy. If not, they are the debut novels by three of Wales’ greatest authors writing in the English language: Alice Thomas Ellis, Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl.
There is something in Wales that inspires great fiction. Perhaps it is the labyrinth of mines under the mountains, the cloud covered mountains, or green valleys dampened by Welsh rain. Here is a place where language, tradition and landscape are connected to a lost and ancient past, shrouded in mystery and legend.
It is a principality of many worlds.
Eithe’s Way is the debut novel of Wales’ newest and most promising writer of fiction, Rhian Waller.
Rhian, aged 29, has been using words to jump into other worlds since she learned to read. In time, she decided that she would like to create some worlds of her own so other people could visit them.
And Eithe has her own way in one of these worlds.
Eithe is a young woman uncertain of her place in life. Locked into a destructive and abusive relationship, Eithe makes a life changing decision when she takes her fate into her own hands and escapes into an adventure of self-discovery.
As she begins to explore this new freedom, she finds herself unexpectedly in the middle of another more sinister reality where she embarks on a metaphysical journey with 'the man in the mirror'.
With a passing homage to Stephen R Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant novels or Life on Mars, Eithe's journey asks questions of the reader: where do we go when we are unconscious? Where roams the spirit of a person in a coma?
Despite her vulnerability, Eithe’s limbo exists within that in-between place, as she finds her own destiny and that of the man in the mirror are inextricably linked.
Eithe's Way has all the elements of a mystery thriller. It is darkly humorous and at times brutal, this story of the transience and impermanence of life is written in a quirky and elegant style that takes us into the 'other world', where the veil between the living and the not quite dead is at its thinnest.
Quite simply Eithe’s Way is one of the finest debut novels from a Welsh writer in a very long time.
Rhian Waller may not yet be the next Alice Thomas Ellis or Roald Dahl, but there again, she might be.
Highly recommended.
Eithe’s Way is available as either a paperback or digital download from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eithes-Way-Rh...
If you are Welsh, a literary buff, or even both, the answer is easy. If not, they are the debut novels by three of Wales’ greatest authors writing in the English language: Alice Thomas Ellis, Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl.
There is something in Wales that inspires great fiction. Perhaps it is the labyrinth of mines under the mountains, the cloud covered mountains, or green valleys dampened by Welsh rain. Here is a place where language, tradition and landscape are connected to a lost and ancient past, shrouded in mystery and legend.
It is a principality of many worlds.
Eithe’s Way is the debut novel of Wales’ newest and most promising writer of fiction, Rhian Waller.
Rhian, aged 29, has been using words to jump into other worlds since she learned to read. In time, she decided that she would like to create some worlds of her own so other people could visit them.
And Eithe has her own way in one of these worlds.
Eithe is a young woman uncertain of her place in life. Locked into a destructive and abusive relationship, Eithe makes a life changing decision when she takes her fate into her own hands and escapes into an adventure of self-discovery.
As she begins to explore this new freedom, she finds herself unexpectedly in the middle of another more sinister reality where she embarks on a metaphysical journey with 'the man in the mirror'.
With a passing homage to Stephen R Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant novels or Life on Mars, Eithe's journey asks questions of the reader: where do we go when we are unconscious? Where roams the spirit of a person in a coma?
Despite her vulnerability, Eithe’s limbo exists within that in-between place, as she finds her own destiny and that of the man in the mirror are inextricably linked.
Eithe's Way has all the elements of a mystery thriller. It is darkly humorous and at times brutal, this story of the transience and impermanence of life is written in a quirky and elegant style that takes us into the 'other world', where the veil between the living and the not quite dead is at its thinnest.
Quite simply Eithe’s Way is one of the finest debut novels from a Welsh writer in a very long time.
Rhian Waller may not yet be the next Alice Thomas Ellis or Roald Dahl, but there again, she might be.
Highly recommended.
Eithe’s Way is available as either a paperback or digital download from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eithes-Way-Rh...
July 2, 2014
Eithe is a young woman who in trying to escape a horrific abusive relationship has a fleeting encounter with a stranger which leaves his damaged reflection attached to her body. When she looks in a mirror she can no longer see herself but the stranger who has forgotten his own name. Together Eithe and the Mirror Man form an unlikely alliance trying to piece together his shattered memory while being chased across Europe by her dangerously malevolent ex-fiancée.
Eithe's Way is a novel of magical realism in the grand tradition of Jeanette Winterson and Neil Gaiman having the grit and dirt of the real world counterpointed with the scope and imagination of the best of fantastical writing. The narrative crackles along and gives a solid sense of place be it London, Paris or the frighteningly empty netherworld of the Mirror Man.
Highly recommended for all fans of imaginative fiction.
Eithe's Way is a novel of magical realism in the grand tradition of Jeanette Winterson and Neil Gaiman having the grit and dirt of the real world counterpointed with the scope and imagination of the best of fantastical writing. The narrative crackles along and gives a solid sense of place be it London, Paris or the frighteningly empty netherworld of the Mirror Man.
Highly recommended for all fans of imaginative fiction.
November 6, 2018
I enjoyed Eithe a great deal, which surprised me. Normally, I’m a straight genre reader, mostly fantasy, but this book is more of a hybrid. It’s akin to literary fiction in that it’s completely character-driven, but the fantasy elements of being haunted by a dying man are integral to the plot as well.
Eithe, the female main character, is trying to escape an abusive fiancé, Joe, who’s decided that death is the only way he can ever keep Eithe close again. She bumps into a man who seems curiously empty, as though his mind isn’t all there. It turns out it isn’t. Part of his soul attaches to Eithe, and he accompanies her on her flight. He can’t remember his name, so she calls him the Mirror Man because reflections are the only place she can see him.
Not only was the story unique, but the description was especially lovely. All the right Goldilocks touches—just enough to ground the reader in the scene, but never so much that it overwhelmed and made me want to skim.
Highly recommended.
Eithe, the female main character, is trying to escape an abusive fiancé, Joe, who’s decided that death is the only way he can ever keep Eithe close again. She bumps into a man who seems curiously empty, as though his mind isn’t all there. It turns out it isn’t. Part of his soul attaches to Eithe, and he accompanies her on her flight. He can’t remember his name, so she calls him the Mirror Man because reflections are the only place she can see him.
Not only was the story unique, but the description was especially lovely. All the right Goldilocks touches—just enough to ground the reader in the scene, but never so much that it overwhelmed and made me want to skim.
Highly recommended.
July 2, 2015
What an awful awful book. I have no option but to give it one star but I would rate it zero. Dreadful story that jumped about, the writing was quite poor and confusing just doesn't do it justice. I only stuck with it because of my bookclub.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews