Silver in the Wood

Exquisite queer fantasy novella

My friend received this book as a gift from her partner, and was absolutely raving about it, so agreed to lend it to me. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it has a beautifully evocative cover and it is quite short, so I was optimistic.

“Silver in the Wood” by Emily Tesh is a fantasy novella about a wild man rumoured to live in the woods called Greenhollow. On closer inspection, the wild name has a name: Tobias. He lives in harmony with the forest he is bound to, alone save his cat and local dryads. However, one day a young man arrives at Tobias’ cottage and with cheerful optimism throws his quiet life into disarray.

This is an absolutely lovely book that had me hooked from the beginning. Tesh is a beautiful writer who has a gift for knowing how much to give the reader, and how much to keep back. Tobias and Henry are great characters, and this book glitters with its earthy, understated magic. Although it is a quick read, it is full of surprises, and takes some classic folklore themes into some unexpected places.

There isn’t much to fault this book on. Perhaps the only thing is that towards the end of the story, there is a bit of a break in the narrative which felt a little jarring compared to the dreamy pace of the rest of the book. However, it made complete sense for the plot, so really it’s hardly a fault.

This is an incredibly enjoyable, refreshing and succinct story that was an absolute delight to read.