The South Westerlies

The South Westerlies are the prevalent winds here in Gower. They make for its distinctive landscape, the wind-bent trees in exposed places, the greenness of the fields.

Here in the south at Oxwich, we’re relatively sheltered: life is calmer than in the wilder parts of the north-west-west such as Llangennith, the Atlantic-facing village that bears the full brunt of this wind.

And it’s here my mother, the writer, Jane Fraser, lives, and has written a collection of short stories also called The South Westerlies. The collection was published by the UK’s foremost independent publisher SALT earlier this year to great reviews.

The stories are all set in Gower and unified by the tone of the south-westerly wind. We’d love you to read it and get an insider’s point of view on Gower, the UK’s first AONB, sometimes said to be a place ‘that’s too beautiful, perhaps for its own good.’

The stories include a wide-cast of characters: male, female, young and old – all illustrating relationships with the place they call home. There are struggling farmers, disgruntled farmers’ wives, surfers endlessly seeking the perfect wave, a widow who explores her life and identity on board Gower’s bus number 116, a fisherman whose day ends in disaster, and a woman who believes her past is haunting her in her house facing the sea.

The collection enables readers to get under the skin of Gower and to connect to its many layers and nuances. We think it makes for a deeper holiday experience to read what locals think and know about a place. And we think it’s good.

To see what others are saying about The South Westerlies visit www.janefraserwriter.com There is also a link to SALT www.saltpublishing.com where you can buy the book and to Amazon. It’s also available at Mumbles’ wonderful independent bookshop, www.cover-to-cover.co.uk

Mum is also publishing her debut novel, ADVENT, (set in Gower 1904-1905) with Honno in 2020. Watch this space.