Fflur Dafydd’s The Library Suicides, an English-language rewrite of her 2009 novel Y Llyfrgell, is an intense character study, set in a dystopian world and set in the National Library Of Wales. Its blurb gives the impression of a thriller, yet its content is more like a mix of dystopian and gothic fiction.

For purposes unknown, the library is used to control citizens through constant monitoring by the government; books are removed from the general population, so online copies can be monitored and narratives changed. Ana and Nan Oodig are twins, employed here as archivists, and daughters of author Elena Oodig, who died shortly after receiving a scathing review of her final book. Its reviewer Eben Prytherch, though haunted by guilt, is about to start writing Elena’s biography.

During his research, Prytherch will be locked into a room in the library: with books precious commodities, the institution’s main function is to digitise all literature deemed relevant, and thus control all knowledge. Ana and Nan plot to ambush the critic and kill him, revenge for their mother’s death – a plan which starts to fall apart almost immediately, descending into chaos as secrets spill out and jeopardy intensifies.

With the story told alternately from the viewpoint of each of the four main characters, Dafydd creates a brilliant cast whose lives fit smartly together, although the establishment of timeline and setting is less linear. I found myself revisiting The Library Suicides’ first few chapters to ensure clarity, and to an extent, this novel feels like two different stories which don’t entirely meld together.