Twelve-year-old Gwenni Morgan, who narrates this debut set in a small Welsh town in the 1950s, believes she has special gifts, including the ability to fly in her sleep. When a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, she resolves to uncover the secret behind his disappearance.

Dyma stori sy'n cael ei hadrodd gan Gwenni Morgan, merch ddeuddeng mlwydd oed, mewn tref fechan Gymreig yn yr 1950au. Mae'n credu bod ganddi ddoniau arbennig, yn cynnwys y gallu i hedfan yn ei chwsg. Pan ddiflanna cymydog yn ddisymwth, mae Gwenni yn penderfynu ei bod am geisio datrys y dirgelwch y tu ôl i'w ddiflaniad.

Recently serialised on Radio 4, Mari Strachan’s debut novel is a carefully cadenced piece of writing that honours the musical allusions of its title. Initially very character driven, the narrative hums along nicely before slowing to an almost languorous pace and then picking up again with a vengeance as the plot takes centre stage. The final part draws the various strands together and provides a denouement that avoids the temptation of too much tidiness, while nonetheless offering a gentle release in the fading tones of the last chapter.

The story is set in a small north Wales town in the 1950s and is told through the voice of twelve-year-old Gwenni. When a local man goes missing, leaving his wife and two young daughters to fend for themselves, Gwenni takes it upon herself to investigate and solve the mystery. In doing so, she uncovers all sorts of open secrets, not only within the community but in her own family – ‘but this is really secret stuff. I mean, everyone knows but it’s really secret. All right?’ Actually, no, not all right at all. This is one very large can of worms and the mood steadily darkens as a relatively light-hearted whodunnit turns into a disquieting study of madness.

Gwenni is a delightful and convincing narrator whose gradual loss of innocence is conveyed through her shifting perceptions. As her world is turned upside down, her child-like clarity about the difference between black and white, right and wrong, true and false changes into a more nuanced view that embraces uncertainty: ‘She thinks she knows everything. But to know isn’t to understand, is it?’

The Earth Hums in B Flat is a piece that works on two levels: light background if that’s what you’re after, or turn up the volume to hear the deeper rhythms.

Suzy Ceulan Hughes

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.