Book Review: Heledd’s Song by Fiona Collins

Onwy Gower

Discovery and dreams

A tale that traverses time; ‘Heledd’s Song’ depicts a journey taken by a 14-year old named Seren who has recently lost her mother to cancer and has had to move in with her Nain (grandmother). Seren manages to fit in quite well in her new town and even has a best friend named Ffion and joins her school football team. However, she is bullied by an older girl named Sioned and has to navigate her school life around this. After a particularly poignant Welsh lesson, Seren takes a keen interest in a lament from the Red Book of Hergest, although the poem is thought to be older than the book. As she discovers more about Heledd’s Song (the poem) she begins to travel to Heledd’s time as she dreams.

Impossible travels

In these dreams she develops an unlikely friendship with Heledd as they bond over their shared experiences grappling with grief and they both mature as their friendship progresses. Although neither Seren nor Heledd understand why this travelling is made possible, every night in present day Wales, Seren winds up in circa 900 AD Wales. The chapters bounce between present and medieval Wales to nudge Seren’s understanding of her perspective and its impact along. This also gives a wonderful insight into Fiona Collins’ imagined reality of what Heledd’s life would have been like during tragedy-stricken times. 

“It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the deeper darkness of the windowless hall, its air full of smoke, as well as light, from the burning torches fixed to the walls, the blazing fire right in the middle of the large space and the guttering candles in wall holders at the far end of the hall.”

Welsh language

The Welsh language is wholly present despite the novel itself being in English. There are key phrases woven throughout the book which means readers who don’t speak Welsh can still read it easily due to the consistent translations when the Welsh goes beyond a word or two. Fiona Collins herself won Welsh Learner of the Year at the National Eisteddfod in 2019 which aptly explains how she knows how to include Welsh without taking it for granted that people will understand and also without assuming everyone does.

Grief’s role

Grief is seemingly its own character in this adventure as it follows the characters without weighing overly on the readers. Grief drives the story along without taking the spotlight from Seren herself. This shows great craftsmanship from the author as she manages to delve into these deep, emotional, raw topics through the lens of seemingly hopeless situations, and give them a shining, hopeful quality.

Overall, this book is a wonderful piece of work for young people that is suitable especially for those who are around the characters’ ages (14) who are curious about Welsh history and folktales. 

‘Heledd’s Song’ by Fiona Collins is published by Honno Press and is available to purchase at all good bookstores.

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