Twin Stars by Charlotte Clutterbuck

Title: Twin Stars

Author: Charlotte Clutterbuck

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Indie Mosh

Published: 25^th July 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 260

Price: $26.95

Synopsis: Thousands of years ago in Stone-age Scotland, humans lived in sheltered valleys, afraid of the bears, wolves and ghosts that roamed the forests. In this ancient world, twin brother and sister, Bhòid and Sulaire, are born as thralls of the Beaver Clan of the Bear Tribe, but have dreams beyond the Custom of the Tribe. From her earliest years, Sulaire seems in touch with the world beyond, knowing intuitively how to use the healing power in her hands. If her brother Bhòid is ever to become a Hunter, he must face challenges of courage, endurance, and leadership. Set in Argyll and on the Island of Bute, the Gannet Quartet follows the story of the twins and the new clan they found––the Gannet Clan. Written about a remote time in the human past, the Quartet combines an imaginative reconstruction of lost legends and cosmology with realistic details of how people of fought and fed themselves, loved and mated, built their houses and healed their injuries.

I: Twin Stars

Millennia ago, in Stone-age Scotland, twin brother and sister, thrall born, have dreams beyond the tribal Custom. Only by showing great courage can Bhòid hope to become a Hunter. Lamed by a fever, Sulaire fears she’s no longer fit to be Healer. When Bhòid injures the Headman’s son whilst protecting Sulaire, he flees to an uninhabited island. Can he survive alone? Can Sulaire heal the Headman’s son from his inner darkness? Will the twins find each other again?

~*~

Sulaire and Bhòid are twins, living with a Stone Age clan in Scotland. They were born as thralls of the Beaver Clan of the Bear Tribe, destined to serve the Headman and his family, destined to do whatever they are told – and never to become hunters or healers. Yet, Sulaire and Bhòid have dreams of stepping out of the tribal Custom to take part in things they are not allowed to.

One day they’re invited to spend three years training with Athru, the son of the Headman and another Hunter-caste girl, though everyone is determined for them to fail, despite the twins’ innate abilities and talents, and Sulaire’s connection to the spiritual world that everyone, including the Wise Woman Ead, sees as unnatural. As the twins grow and they take part in hunter training, everyone sees that they are better than Athru – though Athru is determined to win. Soon, Sulaire is disabled from a mystery illness, and Bhòid is on the run after defending his sister from Athru’s advances.

Separated by geography, the twins must find their way back to each other – yet Sulaire must help the Headman’s family first, and tend to young Parsa, who has lost his hearing from an illness. Can the twins find their way back to each other?

Based on the story of how the Isle of Bute came to be, Twin Stars is the story of community, of social structures and facing your destinies. I loved falling into this world, a time in history not often explored in fiction, and a time where we tend to rely on whatever archaeological evidence is available, rather than a combination of written records and physical artefacts that tell a story. Using the archaeological record alone means that authors writing about these eras like Charlotte must imagine some things – nothing in history is certain, though some things may be more certain than others, and we are always learning new things. Using what is known, what can be distilled and determined from what we can see and study.

Because of these gaps, much of what Charlotte has used for her story has been imagined so she can shape her story, and bring it to life. Her characters are full of life and dreams – they are part of a society where they are expected to accept their roles in lives. I liked the way Sulaire and Bhòid were connected, because it showed how two people who have always been very close can remain connected through long distances, celebrates loyalty, family love and ways of trying to understand those who are different to us – in the ways that Athru, Oran and a few others tried to understand and accept Sulaire despite the ways the Clan usually worked. And I also enjoyed the journey, the power behind the story was the twins and how they navigated their world, and the legend behind what is now known as the Isle of Bute. The stories that inform these historical markers are part of a fabric that has evolved over time.

Historical fiction brings history to life, illustrating the power of stories to teach reader about historical periods they may not know much about, eras that aren’t as widely explored, such as antiquity. World War II gets a lot of coverage, yet the Stone Age is an era I had not read about in fiction before. It was done in an interesting and inviting way – showing readers what the world could have been like from the social structure to what people may have looked like, and the tools they used for eating, healing and hunting. As the first book in the quartet, Twin Stars sets up the society that the twins come from, and their world both in the clan and on the Isle of Bute. This book will allow you to enter a world less travelled, a world where readers get to experience and witness something they may never have thought of. And I liked the way Charlotte brought the world to life, giving it zest and soul to explore the Stone Age in a creative and evocative way.

I enjoyed this story, and I am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the quartet goes.