Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch (4/5)

 Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch is a Historical Fantasy novel about Morgan of Cornwall, whose life is turned upside down when Uther Pendragon kills her father and tricks her mother into marriage. 

One of the things that sets Morgan Is My Name apart from other works of fiction that centre around the figures in the court of King Arthur of Camelot is that it is a deeply feminist novel about a character who, for most of history, has only really been seen through the eyes of the men around her. It was quite interesting to see her portrayed through her own lens. Keetch has a deep understanding of not only the period of time and the plight of women, but has respect for the women who live those lives that leave little room for agency. 

I think that anyone who is interested in feminist works, especially fans of fantasy and mediaeval history, should read this book because of the perspective that it offers. At its core, the novel is about a young woman seeking to live her own life and have freedom, though the period that she lives in very much prevents her from doing that. Despite this, she is willing to risk everything, up to and including her life, to carve out any sort of meaning in her life outside of the way she is defined by her relationships to men, especially the men she does not choose to be defined by. 

One of my favourite aspects of the novel is the characterisation of Morgan. She is defiant from beginning to end, though her defiance grows with her and evolves. By the time of her final defiance against her husband at the end of the novel, she has changed as a person so very much. She had been enriched by the women around her and the men around her have tried and failed to tear her down time and time again, only making her smarter and more defiant against their demands. 

Even in the parts of the novel where she is a child, she shows a strength and maturity, which is something that is expected of younger women even in today’s society. Yes, she is a child and will defy in the way that a child might, but she is mature enough to know why she is defiant. Even as she grows, any acquiescence on her part is also coupled with a defiance. When she agrees to wed, she gains things that are in defiance to Uther, namely her husband promises her a library. To her core, in this novel, Morgan wants to do good things and help people, which is at the root of her defiance, which is a very interesting motivation in my opinion. 

There were parts of the dialogue that, while well written, don’t quite feel as though they are accurate to the time period that the work is set. While I’m not claiming to be an expert on Middle English or anything of the sort, but I am familiar with other works from the time period and the way that language worked. Keetch, given her education, very likely knows far more than I do on the subject. Part of my college education included reading works from pre-Restoration England. However, it is not a drawback, because I understand that writing in Middle English in the 21st Century would very likely put many readers off. I certainly had an easier time, but I did consider it noteworthy. It kept me engaged because I didn’t need to consistently refer to the internet to translate something that is, in today’s world, almost a completely different language.

This is not a specific criticism of Keetch’s work, but of something that is somewhat of an issue in the publishing industry, which is the italicising of words in other languages. This work includes French and Welsh, and the words in those languages are italicised in the work. The issue is that the italics draw attention to the words in a way that can seem inauthentic. Italics are used for emphasis and to draw the eye and attention. 

Overall, I do give this book four stars, and I enjoyed reading it. I was easily hooked and, full honesty, I was not expecting many of the turns that the novel took. I am looking forward to the audiobook, narrated by Vanessa Kirby! 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.