Summary
In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies—mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone.
It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together—a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home—but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories.
My Thoughts
This was one of the most interesting books I have read all year. It centers around this old myth that a group of people called the Selkies are descended from Seals--aka, mermaids. I found it a fascinating premise, and when I started to read this book it proved to be just that: fascinating.
I really appreciate Gifford's attention to detail both in the development of her character's and plot line. In this review I want to on Ruth and the bones of the baby found beneath the house she lives in with her husband.
Ruth is a character that I don't typically encounter in my usual book readings. It was clear from the first few chapters that Ruth was going to go through a deep internal battle--which I believe to be a combination of depression and maybe bit of bi-polar (not quite sure, don't quote me). Nonetheless, I really appreciate that a character with these elements was written with in this novel. Not many books convey these type of characteristics well, and I think Gifford did a really good job at it. Ruth was a character that I felt for and wanted to understand. Her depression stemed from her mother abandoning her and this strikes up with increasing scenes once the child is found and Ruth takes it upon herself to find out how that child came to be where it was buried. Really it was beautiful, haunting, and sometimes hard to understand but I'm okay with that. Ruth's story with connection to the child was tied in really good with her story of her mother and the impact it had on her. Don't want to give too much away so I will leave it at that.
Truly this novel takes on a lot of issues: depression, evolution, God (just to name a few) and I found it be to again a provoking read in a good way. Beautiful prose and a story that will linger in my mind for a while. This is a read that will give you more then what you expected. However, this was not be favorite read of the year, but it was thought provoking and a journey to read nonetheless. I hope it proves to be something of the same.
Rating: 3 out of 5 bookshelves
Disclaimer: I received a free copy for an honest review from Litfuse Publicity Group.
About the Author
Elisabeth Gifford studied French literature and world religons at Leeds
University. She has published poems in Cinnamon Press and The Oxford
Magazine, and a story in Riptide. She has written articles for The Times
and The Independent. She has recently completed The House of Hope,
a biography of Dr Joyce Hill who opened a rescue centre for abandoned
babies in China, published by Monarch Press and shortly to be translated
into Chinese. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE
and a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the course led by Sir
Andrew Motion at Royal Holloway College. She is married with three
children. Link to Author's : Facebook, Website, and Goodreads
Link to purchase her book: Amazon and B&N
In His Grace, Taylor Reid Don't miss The Sea House, a stunning fiction debut from the UK. Set in a house on the windswept coast of the Outer Hebrides, Elisabeth Gifford's haunting tale effortlessly bridges a gap of more than a century. Adeptly interweaving two tales involving residents of the titular house, Gifford sets up an absorbing mystery revolving around local lore and myths about mermaids, selkies, and sealmen. Stretching seamlessly back and forth through time, layers upon layers of secrets are slowly and effectively peeled away in this evocative debut (Booklist).
Celebrate with Elisabeth by entering her Kindle giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire
- The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
