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Zed and the Cormorants
Zed's family have moved from London to a village in Cornwall. Dad says they need a fresh start, but no one s asked Zed what she thinks. She knows she ll never fit into her new school, or make any friends, let alone find someone special. At this rate she'll be lucky to find a phone signal. Maybe their new home will help with Mum's depression, and keep Zed's sister Amy away from her dropout boyfriend, but why does it have to be so remote? Why has the boathouse been locked up for seventy years? Why do the birds living by the estuary fill her with such dread? And what do they WANT? A contemporary coming of age story that touches on Cornish history, mythology, the paranormal and mental health and LGBT romance. Perfect for readers of Liz Kessler, Emily Barr and and Marcus Sedgewick.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2021
About the author
Clare Owen
2 books2 followersClare Owen worked as an actor and arts administrator in London before marrying a boat builder and moving to Cornwall. In 2008 she set up a theatre company specialising in improvising the real-life stories of audiences around the county, before going on to write and perform her own material. Her poetry and stories have been published in literary magazines and anthologies including Aspier, Mslexia, An Outbreak of Peace, Women Speak Volumes: An Anthology of Writing by Older Women, The Beautifully Mundane, and (in)visibilities. Her YA novel Zed and the Cormorants was published by Arachne Press in 2021 and won a Holyer an Gof award the following year. Creatures of a Brief Season was published by Hermitage Press in Sept 2026 and is her first adult fiction novel.
www.clareowenwriter.co.uk
Instagram/Facebook @clareowenwriter
www.clareowenwriter.co.uk
Instagram/Facebook @clareowenwriter
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 2, 2021
Fantastic read! Zed is a really engaging heroine and you root for her from the very first page. It’s a coming of age story with a difference, packed with suspense, mystery, romance, environmental issues and delicious sounding homemade bread! It’s the comfort of ‘Bake Off’ meets the horror ‘The Birds’!”
July 25, 2021
Zed and her family move to Cornwall. However, the house they move to is very isolated which doesn’t help the family with their problems. Yet, Zed musters through her issues through her story with the nearby cormorants.
This book is extremely atmospheric and captures the isolating feeling well. The book is about Zed growing up but also dealing with her dark emotions like her anxiety. The rest of her family are too busy with their own problems that Zed feels very alone. Upon arriving at the house she is attacked by cormorants and is spooked by these rather spooky birds. After talking with another family who live nearby she discovers a story about the premises and aims to lift the cormorant curse.
The book plays into the idea that what Zed is seeing is real and the book is supernatural but also that what Zed sees is just fictitious but its helping her overcome her issues. This line is so thin that even by the end you can look at it through both lenses. I liked this addition to the book as the reader can take what they want from it. The characters in this book are also well established and they grow as the book progresses.
My only issue with this book was some things felt too open ended or just added but not explained and at times I wasn’t sure what information was important and what was just filler. As well, the book was packed with so much information that it was hard to keep up with all the problems each side character was facing. There was a lot of angst.
After chatting with the author about her intentions for the book I did grow to like it a bit more.
A great little coming of age story that isn’t harrowing but it will leave you slightly unsettled.
This book is extremely atmospheric and captures the isolating feeling well. The book is about Zed growing up but also dealing with her dark emotions like her anxiety. The rest of her family are too busy with their own problems that Zed feels very alone. Upon arriving at the house she is attacked by cormorants and is spooked by these rather spooky birds. After talking with another family who live nearby she discovers a story about the premises and aims to lift the cormorant curse.
The book plays into the idea that what Zed is seeing is real and the book is supernatural but also that what Zed sees is just fictitious but its helping her overcome her issues. This line is so thin that even by the end you can look at it through both lenses. I liked this addition to the book as the reader can take what they want from it. The characters in this book are also well established and they grow as the book progresses.
My only issue with this book was some things felt too open ended or just added but not explained and at times I wasn’t sure what information was important and what was just filler. As well, the book was packed with so much information that it was hard to keep up with all the problems each side character was facing. There was a lot of angst.
After chatting with the author about her intentions for the book I did grow to like it a bit more.
A great little coming of age story that isn’t harrowing but it will leave you slightly unsettled.
April 21, 2021
A completely captivating read: would appeal to everyone, especially those with a Cornish connection (or indeed just dreaming of spending time in a UK holiday destination, aren't we all?), an interest in the ways different family dynamics can play out and for any reader who enjoys a heady mix of the grit of daily life and some gothic drama. Zed is the sort of character it is easy to emphasise with: she's strong, creative and intelligent, not one to let life get her down and you are quickly swept into her head. The illustrations which appear in the book from the books unlikely 'hero' Denzil are a particular highlight and bring an alternative voice. I couldn't put it down! Add it to your summer reading list now.
July 12, 2021
Zed speaks in a language young people will resonate with. The setting is glorious, though dark at times, in a very real place - the writer's own environs, a tiny hamlet by the River Fowey in Cornwall. The story touches on several current issues about identity, mental health, starting afresh, and how the 'Light' can be misinterpreted and seem dark and scary, until one knows the reasons behind things. The descriptions are gorgeous and the language is zippy! Good writing, Clare!
March 27, 2021
This book is such an absorbing and captivating read. Set in Cornwall with a haunting twist reminiscent of Du Maurier books (and based in similar parts of Cornwall too!), it hooked me right from the very first page and I loved being wrapped up in Zed's story as she unravels the mystery that surrounds her new home - and her life.
The characters are all fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know them all a little deeper the more I kept reading, although my favourite had to be Denzil, the boy who feels a strong connection to the land, the river and the birds, and makes his own punchy cider, steering well clear of other people.
It was good to be able to take this book to the places that inspired it too and feel so in tune with the setting. The prose evokes a wonderful sense of belonging, identity, and place. With themes of self discovery, nature conservation, and sexuality, along with trigger warnings of parental illness, mental health, and teenage loss, Zed and the Cormorants is such a brilliant read and I can't wait for other people to read it too.
The characters are all fleshed out and I enjoyed getting to know them all a little deeper the more I kept reading, although my favourite had to be Denzil, the boy who feels a strong connection to the land, the river and the birds, and makes his own punchy cider, steering well clear of other people.
It was good to be able to take this book to the places that inspired it too and feel so in tune with the setting. The prose evokes a wonderful sense of belonging, identity, and place. With themes of self discovery, nature conservation, and sexuality, along with trigger warnings of parental illness, mental health, and teenage loss, Zed and the Cormorants is such a brilliant read and I can't wait for other people to read it too.
March 29, 2021
Enjoyed this book immensely. It wove together the story of a modern family struggling to stay together in the face of personal difficulties with the tale of a tragedy from the past and the awakening of a curse. With an added bit of mythology about Cormorants too!
There were some great characters in the book, especially the quirky, great Grandma Cordelia and Denzil who lives in the woods and sketches the birds.
There is magic, mystery and a touch of the supernatural in the story mixed with the growing pains of being a teenage girl.
The best thing about the book is the setting by the river. Whilst the places in the book are fictitious, it’s easy for me to know the inspiration; the creek, boat house, woods and viaduct all exist in a place I know so well
There were some great characters in the book, especially the quirky, great Grandma Cordelia and Denzil who lives in the woods and sketches the birds.
There is magic, mystery and a touch of the supernatural in the story mixed with the growing pains of being a teenage girl.
The best thing about the book is the setting by the river. Whilst the places in the book are fictitious, it’s easy for me to know the inspiration; the creek, boat house, woods and viaduct all exist in a place I know so well
May 24, 2021
This book is full of atmospheric descriptions and has a gripping plot line. However there something about it brings contentment which sounds contrary but somehow isn’t. I listened to this on audible and totally recommend that. Sophie’s narration and Clare’s writing bring the scenes to life in a most satisfying way. It’s the first book I have listened to on audible and I found myself prioritising jobs which meant I could keep listening. I throughly recommend it.
April 14, 2021
Not my usual type of book. Not one that would have drawn me in by the front cover either but i guess it's appropriate for the story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews