Review: The Short Knife

The Short Knife by Elen Caldecott follows the misfortune of Mai, her sister Haf and their father after their home is destroyed by Saxon warriors. Mai and Haf, having grown up in isolation on their farm, must learn to live in a world created and ruled by men, and dominated by a power struggle between the Saxons and the native British peoples.

Mai defines herself as British, Welsh and of Roman descent. She speaks British and Saxon. Caldecott uses the multitude of languages spoken in Britain in bygone eras to evoke an ancestral link to the multiculturalism of the United Kingdom as it is today. In this text, she stresses the importance of language to British identity through her use of Welsh and Saxon terminology and phrases.

At its heart, this book is about the history of Great Britain as a land that is defined by the multitude of peoples and nationalities contained therein, as much as it is defined by the conflict between these groups.

Caldecott’s text comes at a time when political tensions in Britain have risen to boiling point as a result of issues such as racial disputes and Brexit. The Short Knife reminds the reader that British identity has never been a singular cultural identity, but rather one that is composed of multiple histories, cultures and traditions, English, Welsh and Scottish being just a few.

You can buy a copy of The Short Knife here:

---

Thank you to Children’s Books Ireland for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.

This review was originally published in Inis Magazine Issue 59 (April 2020).