Blood and Gold
A Journey of Shadows
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Blood and Gold
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Narrated by:
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Mara Menzies
About this listen
Winner of the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year
'a beguiling mixture of poetry, moving prose and magical realism' - Stephen McGinty, The Sunday Times
Jeda is a girl on the cusp of adulthood, living in Edinburgh; with a white father and a black mother, she feels self-conscious and out of place. Her feelings of alienation allow the stories of the shapeshifting Shadowman, who embodies all that is negative, to feed on her doubts and insecurities. The death of her mother, Rahami, gives the Shadowman an opportunity to control Jeda through her grief and his lies, but her mother's last gift to her daughter was a box of stories. When the box is flung open, the stories escape, setting in motion an incredible journey.
Jeda learns more about her African ancestry through tales of slavery, cruelty and colonisation, but she also discovers pride and love and sacrifice, ultimately embracing her dual heritage and her unique place in the world. Filled with tragedy, wonder and magic, Blood and Gold explores the themes of loss and oppression, while asking us to examine our own identities, attitudes, and humanity.
©2024 Mara Menzies (P)2024 Birlinn LtdCritic reviews
'spellbinding… Menzies takes us on a fantastical journey through the eyes of a teenage girl growing up black in a white world'
(Janet Christie)'Menzies’ great achievement here is to tap into the subtle power of allegory to make us consider familiar subjects with fresh eyes. [She] simply invites us to consider the universal concepts of justice and injustice, greed and selflessness'
(Roger Cox)'Blood and Gold explores hard-hitting issues such as the legacy of colonialism, slavery and the challenges of growing up in two cultures, through an unconventional mix of fantasy, legends and stories inspired by personal experiences'
(Nadia Vidinova)'Menzies' lyrical prose is rich in allegory, as she draws upon her own dual heritage… Blood and Gold is a testament to the power of words'
(Nicole Gemine)