Happy book birthday to Cygnet by Season Butler and @dialoguebooks ! I received a proof of this book last year and by the description, assumed it was going to be a dystopian-themed book… I couldn’t have been more wrong! . When the Kid is dumped by her parents on an island of elderly Separatists, she assumes it is a temporary thing. That is until her grandmother dies and her parents are a no-show. The elderly call themselves Swans and they’ve left behind the real world, choosing to age in peace with as little interaction with the outside world, especially the young. The live on a remote island, savaged by a violent ocean, eroding the island piece by piece. The Kid seems to be the only one concerned that the island is falling into the sea; the Swans seem oblivious to the destruction of the island around them. As the Kid faces her eighteenth birthday, she must decide if she stays or leaves. her position on the island is tenuous; she’s treated as a pet of sorts, tolerated by most, pitied by some. . Cygnet is a really interesting meditation on what it means to find acceptance, of the past and what is to come. The Kid makes a small living by editing the life of a woman, who wishes to change the parts of her past she doesn’t life (by digitally altering old photos/ videos). The Kid must accept that her parents are not coming back, and that by choosing to move on, she’s letting her past go. Cygnet is about life and death, past and future, ageing and youth. It is also a story of loneliness, and finding your own voice. . A fantastic book! Many stars from me! ⭐️ . #cygnet #dialoguebooks #diversevoices #ownvoices #bookreview #publicationday #bookbirthday #shelfie #bookshelfie #bookblogger #booknerd #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaddict (at Liverpool) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv2U3oMHmfq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=srculvddgyz9