The Earth Hums in B Flat is one of those books that eases you in gently and then floors you. It is written in the first person confessional, almost diary style musings of 12 year old Gwenni Morgan. The reader is put in the uncomfortable role of Gwenni's confidante. Twelve is such a rich age to work with that I wonder why more writers don’t have 12 year old protagonists. It’s that age where a person is still very much a child, and yet also able to think and perceive as an adult. Gwenni has a foot in both camps. She knows, understands and perceives the adult world as an equal, but is also still able to see with the wonder and perceptions of a little girl. But she's no ordinary 12 year old. She has the difficulty and insight that comes with an unhappy household and a sense of her own magic. This makes her a notable protagonist, and her journey in The Earth Hums in B Flat is a powerful one.
Gwenni is particularly perceptive, with an observant poetic eye for the world around her. Strachan helps us to understand this, not only through Gwenni’s own musings, but through the way others around her react to her. The setting of the book is a conservative small town in 1950s Wales. Strachan manages the setting perfectly, allowing us to feel comfortable in this technology-free world where kettles are heated on a wood fire and then used to fill a shared bathtub, jam is made on the stove top, and social life centres around church. People say too much that doesn’t matter and not enough that does, and it takes the deep contemplation of a thoughtful child to uncover the truths that lie behind family cover ups and secret whisperings.
Gwenni’s mother doesn’t find much charm in Gwenni’s ability to fly, or her introspective, poetic curiosity about the world around her. Gwenni doesn’t ever criticise her mother, but between Magda Morgan’s nervous condition, her own family secrets, and her overt disdain for her own family and domestic situation, she is the most disagreeable character in this novel – the key antagonist. Ifan Evans, whose children Gwenni babysits for, is also disagreeable, and made more so by Gwenni’s mother's adoration, but Ifan's wife Elin Evans is kind and thoughtful. Mrs Evans has a sense of Gwenni’s intelligence that her own mother misses.
When Ifan goes missing, Gwenni takes it upon herself to find out what happened and help Mrs Evans, and the story rapidly changes from charming pastoral to murder mystery. With Gwenni in the role of amateur sleuth, she takes to the streets with notebook, photo, and pen, ignoring her mother’s condemnation in her quest for the truth. Throughout Gwenni's subtle coming-of-age, her voice never falters, and her discovery of the truth comes alongside other grown up discoveries, such as the loss of her best friend Alwenna, who has developed an interest in boys and makeup, a growing sense of other people’s deep and intractable pain, and her own family secrets which she slowly uncovers.
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