A beautiful story bound by the deep seeded love of family and close friends. Seven Skins finds Esther chasing ghosts to the other side of the world to better understand her beloved sister’s disappearance and find closure for all those who loved her. What unfolds is a unique blend of what was, what is, and what will be.
From Lutruwita, Tasmania, to Copenhagen, Denmark, then onto the Faroe Islands; Esther becomes entangled with a family of sorts. Guided by Aura’s footsteps, Esther falls easily into step alongside Faroe Island locals, the same locals whom Aura loved deeply. Confusion and sparked heat, finds Esther struggling with her innermost desires as she attempts to push them below the surface, placing Aura’s memory at the forefront of her actions.
Esther’s journey, filled with mixed emotions, follows her through a shedding of her own layers or ‘skins’, aided by her sister’s safely guarded journal. Esther meets numerous impressionable people along the way, unknowingly, she takes a little of them with her as she goes. With lessons learnt, Esther makes the easiest, and hardest decision of all, to return home, back to a place she felt tarnished forever.
A strong emphasis is placed on tattoos and the power they can hold within an individual’s life journey, Esther explores the depth surrounding her sister’s ink and the connection they hold to Eastern European folklore. She visits many local landmarks and learns their history through direct family member, Abelone, and new family, Sophus, without whom Esther would be still in the dark.
Written in a unique style, creatively blending the past and the present together, Ringland captures the very essence of what it means to be family.
My favourite character of this story would have to be Esther herself. At the beginning she is a broken individual who makes poor choice after poor choice. A somewhat relatable character to anyone who has isn't 100% pure in all of their life choices. The transformation that Esther undergoes leaves a little hope for us all, that we too, can continue to transform and better ourselves, layer by layer. Esther's journey of the Faroe Islands has left me wanting to visit there myself.
My least favourite aspect of Seven Skins would have to be that it isn't until the very end of the story that we observe Esther truly own her identity, this is the moment she claims her power and strength, but we don't get to witness what she does with this power. A number of questions are left hanging, though it does leave open the possibility of a second book to follow Esther, her power and what she does with it.
Why you should buy this book - if you are anything like me and you have a love of the ocean then this is the book for you. An exploration of the ocean underworld through the interconnected-ness of reality, folklore and family ties shows us the extremes that families go to in order to understand one another. The bonus, there is even a Spotify play list connected to the storyline that you can play to deepen your connection to the characters.
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