A Cage of Rooks
‘A Cage of Rooks’ could be described as a magical realism novel but I don’t see it like that, not exactly. It’s a retelling of one of my favourite fairy stories ‘Rapunzel’. Unless you know that already, on reading the novel, I think it’s very unlikely that you would realise. But elements of the original are evident and it’s an interesting place to start writing because ‘Rapunzel’ has so many unusual elements that set it apart from most fairy tales. My story doesn’t follow the plot exactly but many of the key characteristics are there. ‘Rapunzel’ is one of the few stories in which the main female protagonist rescues her lover. Yes, she is originally confined to the tower and lets down her hair so that her lover might rescue her, but later, when he’s blinded and wanders the world, it is Rapunzel that searches for him. A feminist story, perhaps. Unusual, don’t you think, in a fairy tale? But my novel is realist in many ways, it is the story of Carrie, a 21st century girl, alone and with decisions to make. She has been brought up in a privileged world but she has also been painfully neglected.
The magical realism element in ‘A Cage of Rooks’ does not come from ‘Rapunzel’. The portraits and murals in Carrie’s house, Camelstone, have always come to life for Carrie and feature as main characters in the novel; most notably, the Duchess de Berry and Phoenix Halcro. The glamorous story of real life Duchess de Berry, Princess Caroline of Naples and Sicily, is woven into the novel and we find details of her adventures in nineteenth century France at the Élysée Palace in Paris, in prison at Blaye and in her palace in Venice. She also stayed at Lulworth Castle, Dorset where she was the first person to excavate one of the burial mounds at Five Marys, Chaldon Herring. ‘A Cage of Rooks’ is set in this area of Dorset. The Duchess de Berry is a vibrant and free-thinking character who acts on impulse, loves the glamorous world but is not afraid to get filthy, start rebellions and fight for her beliefs and her loves. She is Carrie’s mentor and is unafraid to pester Carrie when life leads her into trouble. 
Phoenix Halcro, on the other hand, is an imaginary warrior angel clad in armour, part of the Camelstone murals. She is bad-tempered, fearsome on the outside, vulnerable within but never afraid to voice an opinion. She argues with the Duchess de Berry, always voicing an opposing view and is fiercely loyal to Carrie. The Duchesse de Berry and Phoenix Halcro form a sort of Greek Chorus, commenting on Carrie’s actions and decisions.
In brief, Carrie is tied to her crumbling English manor house, Camelstone, tending the cage of rooks inherited from her superstitious ancestors. When the composer, Didier, arrives in town they become passionately obsessed with each other and Carrie’s life falls apart until she meets John, a gardener.
