Skin by Ilka Tampke

It's always good to try something new and 'Skin', the debut novel from Ilka Tampke, is no exception.  It is beautiful, strange and enchanting in equal measure.

Taking Iron Age Britain, or Albion, as its setting this book is well researched and knowledgeable which comes through eloquently in the writing.  The tribal names and places, system of hierarchy, weapons and religion are totally believable.  The druidic journeymen and women are treated with a great deal of respect while the dream sequences throughout are very vivid and have a definite Aboriginal feel to them (presumably thanks to the author's Australian roots) and add a unique quality to the atmosphere of this tale.

In Ailia, the story has a wonderful central character.  At times fragile, at others defiant and in control of her own destiny her lack of 'Skin' impacts everything around her.  'Skin' in this setting is the tribal grouping a charcter is born to - it gives a person a place in society, allows them to have a trade, to marry and to learn.  As Ailia is a foundling with no knowledge of her family or where she comes from she is almost completely excluded.  She is rescued as a baby and given a place in the Queen's kitchen, a place which is tenuous at best.  The story really begins when Ailia is allowed to take part in the coming of age ritual and spends her night with Ruther, a young warrior of the tribe who makes Ailia start to think about her place in society.

Ruther becomes an important part of the plot and in many ways acts as a bridge between the mystical world of Albion and the modernity of the encroaching Roman Empire.  Having spent time in Rome, Ruther has become disenchanted with the old world and is full of praise for the new way of life where a person can advance on merit rather than relying purely on the skin they are born to. 

There is romance running through the novel once Ailia meets Taliesin.  He provides another link, though this time in the opposite direction back to the mysticism and beliefs of her people. To say too much about Taliesin would be to spoil things for those who have not read this, so I shall just say that I found his story clever and well written.

Ailia's journey from skinless kitchen girl to possible leader of her people takes a good look at the human psyche and our basic need to belong.  It is a study of how we fit in, how things fall apart for those who feel they have no connections, of what it means to be unique as a human and how belonging can aid our journey but also how it can hold us back.

Ultimately though, this is a superbly written, deeply atmospheric piece of storytelling that I found almost impossible to put down and would highly recommend to anyone.