Riverflow

No longer the benign friend of summer, the Severn was a restless dragon slithering its way past After a beloved family member is drowned in a devastating flood, Bede and Elin Sherwell want nothing more than to be left in peace to pursue their off-grid life. But when the very real prospect of fracking hits their village, they are drawn into the front line of the protests. During a spring of relentless rain, a series of mysterious threats and suspicious accidents put friendships on the line, and the Sherwells' marriage under unbearable tension. Is there a connection with their uncle's death? As the river rises in torrential rain, pressure mounts, Bede's sense of self begins to crumble, and Elin is no longer sure who to believe or what to believe in. 'I was completely drawn in by her characters and their environment... The sense of unease that pervades throughout was heart-stopping.' Emma Curtis

Alison Layland is a writer and translator who has told herself stories for as long as she can remember. She first started writing them down for others to share when she moved to Wales in 1997, and a Welsh language course led the way to creative writing classes. She won the short story competition at the National Eisteddfod in 2002. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University, and after a brief spell as a taxi driver worked for several years as a chartered surveyor before returning to her first love - language. She translates from German, French and Welsh into English, and her published translations include a number of award-winning and best-selling novels. Her debut novel, Someone Else's Conflict (2014), is also published by Honno. Find out more at www.alayland.uk