The gathering night - Margaret Elphinstone

An utterly enchanting prehistorical novel set deep in our Stone-Age past, but resonating as a parable of our troubled planet 8,000 years on—an ecoparable, family saga, and Stone-Age adventure in one

Between Grandmother Mountain and the cold sea, Alaia and her family live off the land—but when one of her brothers goes hunting and never returns, the fragile balance of life is upset. Half-starved and maddened with grief, Alaia's mother follows her visions and goes in search of her lost son. When a stranger from a rival tribe appears on their hearth seeking shelter, they wonder if his stories of a great wave and a people perished are to be believed. What else could drive a man to travel alone between tribes in the depths of winter? Hopes of resolution come when Alaia's mother returns home as a "Go-Between," one able to commune with the spirits. But as all the Auk people come to get her for their annual Gathering Night, who there will listen to the voice of a woman? This is a compelling, genre-busting story of conflict, loss, love, adventure, and devastating natural disasters.