I’m sure I first heard about Agnes Owens via my English teacher, in fifth year at Prestwick Academy. Scottish literature owes so much to Agnes Owens, yet she remains painfully so under-acknowledged. Her writing is bold, brutal, and darkly funny.
Agnes Owens describes a beach is full of threats and dangers. A young girl wants to go to the lighthouse, but her younger brother does not. She warns him that a monster might get him if he doesn’t comply. His understanding of “monster” is bizarre, and we worry about threats coming from everywhere and anywhere. A dark story beautifully told.
First published in People Like That, Bloomsbury, 1996
A Personal Anthology 