Book Review: Kala by Colin Walsh

Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was drawn to reading this book after working on the audiobook version at work. I was hearing all of my colleagues raving about the manuscript, so I ran straight to my nearest bookshop and treated myself to a copy. First and foremost, Kala by Colin Walsh is a thriller, the narrative built up around the characters' chilling and sinister secrets. This is where the structure of the narrative really shines through. Not only does Walsh layer each character's perspective on top of each other, continually switching from one character's p.o.v to another, but he also draws together two different time periods, the past of 2003 and then the present, set fifteen years later. But, what is so exceptional is how he is able to draw everything back to one continual focus, without causing confusion or disjoint. And, this continual focus comes in the form of Kala Lanann and her bewildering disappearance.

The characterisation of Kala was another one of my favourite aspects of the book. Again, just like the narrative, there are so many different layers to her character. It really does depend on who Kala is interacting with at each moment in time, as to which Kala will be presented on the page. From one moment, she will be a kind-hearted, caring friend and granddaughter and the next, she is full of attitude and mystery. She is the type of character who can easily get herself into trouble, or allows the trouble to find her. I have never known a character to be as vivid as Kala. It is clear that a lot of thought also went into the characterisation of those who surround her. Six friends, all with their own very different personalities and quirks - but the challenge must have come from being able to present each one at two stages of their lives. Reflecting the difference between their teenage years and adulthood. To me, this was flawlessly executed and only aided the build up to the novel's striking conclusion.

Beautifully written, poetic throughout and with a slight melancholic tone - my experience reading Kala was unlike any other book. Another gripping literary thriller, this time from a rising Irish talent, that quickly became one of my favourite books of the year!

About The Book:

In the Irish seaside town of Kinlough, three old friends are thrown back together for the first time in years.

Helen, Joe and Mush were all part of a group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with reckless Kala Lanann as their notorious leader. Yet, the strangest mystery of all was Kala's disappearance. Now, fifteen years later, Helen has reluctantly returned for her father's wedding, Joe is a famous musician and Mush has never even attempted to venture outside of Kinlough. Things still aren't as they should be; human remains have been discovered in the woods and two more girls have gone missing. As past and present start to collide, the estranged friends must learn to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance and try to stop the violent patterns of Kinlough from repeating themselves once more.