Morgan Is My Name

Keetch’s debut adds to the ever-growing subgenre of feminist reimaginings of the lives of villainous women from myth and legend with this balanced take on Camelot’s Morgan le Fay. Named Morgan (or “sea-born,” in Welsh) after the sea that her mother, Lady Igraine, claims helped bring Morgan into the world, she and her two older sisters grow up happy at Tintagel—until their father dies. Lady Igraine is compelled to remarry King Uther, and from there Morgan’s life takes a turn for the worse, though she still ekes out moments of happiness in an affair with a squire. When her transgressions are discovered, she is banished to a nunnery, but Igraine ensures that she receive a decent education, and Morgan’s increasing knowledge of the healing arts sets her on a path toward magic. As Morgan’s power grows, so too does her desire for freedom and independence, pitting her against the men who try to control her. With equal attention to politics and witchcraft, Keetch’s exploration of Morgan’s growth shows how the perspective of men has warped the character over the years. Fans of Arthurian legends retold will not want to miss this. Agent: Marina de Pass, Soho Agency. (June)