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Young Freya spends time with her self-absorbed mother in Cornwall when she encounters teenage twins. "Nothing better than knowing a secret," they tell her, "is having one of your own." In the days that ensue, they violate her, then bury her alive, a mix of nervousness and annoyance darting across their faces as they eventually release her from her improvised coffin.

This might have stood as the shocking centrepiece of a novel, but it's just one of numerous horrific events in The Elements, which gathers four novelettes – published distinctly between 2023 and 2025 – in which characters navigate historical pain and try to discover peace in the present moment.

Controversial Context and Thematic Exploration

The book's release has been clouded by the inclusion of Earth, the second novella, on the candidate list for a prominent LGBTQ+ writing prize. In August, nearly all other nominees dropped out in dissent at the author's controversial views – and this year's prize has now been terminated.

Discussion of trans rights is not present from The Elements, although the author explores plenty of significant issues. Anti-gay prejudice, the effect of mainstream and online outlets, parental neglect and sexual violence are all investigated.

Distinct Stories of Pain

• In Water, a sorrowful woman named Willow relocates to a secluded Irish island after her husband is imprisoned for awful crimes.
• In Earth, Evan is a athlete on court case as an accessory to rape.
• In Fire, the mature Freya balances revenge with her work as a surgeon.
• In Air, a parent flies to a burial with his young son, and wonders how much to disclose about his family's past.

Trauma is accumulated upon trauma as hurt survivors seem fated to meet each other again and again for eternity

Interconnected Narratives

Links multiply. We initially encounter Evan as a boy trying to leave the island of Water. His trial's panel contains the Freya who shows up again in Fire. Aaron, the father from Air, collaborates with Freya and has a child with Willow's daughter. Minor characters from one account reappear in houses, bars or courtrooms in another.

These plot threads may sound tangled, but the author understands how to propel a narrative – his prior popular Holocaust drama has sold many copies, and he has been translated into numerous languages. His direct prose sparkles with suspenseful hooks: "after all, a doctor in the burns unit should know better than to experiment with fire"; "the primary step I do when I reach the island is alter my name".

Character Portrayal and Narrative Strength

Characters are drawn in brief, powerful lines: the compassionate Nigerian priest, the troubled pub landlord, the daughter at war with her mother. Some scenes ring with tragic power or insightful humour: a boy is hit by his father after wetting himself at a football match; a narrow-minded island mother and her Dublin-raised neighbour trade barbs over cups of diluted tea.

The author's ability of transporting you completely into each narrative gives the reappearance of a character or plot strand from an previous story a genuine thrill, for the initial several times at least. Yet the cumulative effect of it all is dulling, and at times almost comic: pain is accumulated upon suffering, coincidence on chance in a grim farce in which damaged survivors seem doomed to meet each other repeatedly for all time.

Conceptual Complexity and Final Evaluation

If this sounds less like life and closer to uncertainty, that is element of the author's point. These hurt people are burdened by the crimes they have endured, stuck in patterns of thought and behavior that agitate and spiral and may in turn hurt others. The author has spoken about the effect of his individual experiences of mistreatment and he depicts with compassion the way his cast navigate this dangerous landscape, striving for remedies – solitude, cold ocean swims, forgiveness or refreshing honesty – that might let light in.

The book's "fundamental" framing isn't particularly educational, while the quick pace means the examination of social issues or social media is mostly surface-level. But while The Elements is a defective work, it's also a thoroughly readable, trauma-oriented saga: a valued response to the typical preoccupation on authorities and offenders. The author shows how suffering can affect lives and generations, and how years and compassion can soften its aftereffects.