When I was in the Netherlands, I managed to finish the Welsh book I was reading: Pumed Gainc y Mabinogi by Peredur, the linguist who is so kind as to meet up with me so I can practise my Welsh. It has taken me quite a while to get through it! Not because it doesn't read smoothly, but because I just hadn't picked up a book for weeks if not months on end. But now I have time. I spent quite sometime in trains when I am in the Netherlands, and I also couldn't speak, which pushed me in the direction of just reading!
So what do I think? Well! I think that I don't understand yet what he's on about. So I set out immediately re-reading it. In order to understand the plot, I think you need to really have the Mabinogi well settled in your head. And I don't! I only read it once. And given how long it took me to read it, I had also forgot quite some details from the first half of the book.
I started again. I was reading a bit quicker this time, and I took notes when I thought I came across something that is important for understanding the plot. And every time I thought I was missing a clue from the Mabinogion, I looked it up. I ended up with quite a big file on my phone with notes about every chapter, and relevant fragments copied over from internet about the various details of the national epic. As I write this, I am just over halfway reading it again! And I'm not there yet, but there clearly is a story appearing.
I'm still surprised that he got away with this. What he is basically doing is saying that some characters from Welsh mythology are actually Lovecraftian horrors! That is quite something. You would think people would gather with pitchforks and torches at his house. But I haven't heard of any backlash! I'm glad.
I will just keep ploughing on and then report back when I have re-read all of it, and have done what I can regarding understanding what exactly is going on.
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