Archipelago

by Gabrielle Barnby

ORKNEY
Exile and renewal

Dr. Harriet Wolf—scholar, exile, breaker of taboos—has fled to the windswept Orkney islands, her career in ruins after an affair with a student.
Seeking refuge in Erskine, a renovated croft steeped in old ghosts and past betrayals, she finds herself reluctantly drawn into the rhythms of island life.
From the enigmatic members of the local stoat-trapping team to those carrying their own burdens of love and loss, Harriet’s world intertwines with others in unexpected ways.
As the tides carve and reclaim the shore, lives collide in acts of rescue, punishment and escape.
A haunting tale of solitude, entanglement, and the inescapable pull of the past.

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2025

About the author

Gabrielle Barnby lives in Orkney where she writes novels, short stories and poetry. She facilitates creative writing groups in the community with participants from eight to eighty and has a strong interest in writing for wellbeing. Gabrielle’s writing has been included in numerous anthologies and magazines and her latest novel Across the Silent Sea is released with Sparsile Books this summer. More information about her work can be found at gabriellebarnby.com

Reviews

[Jehnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read literary fiction often - I prefer more plot. But this captured the imagery of the Orkneys well.