Title: SHEERWATER
Expected publication: 23 March 2020
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description:
Ava and her two young sons, Max and Teddy, are driving to
their new home in Sheerwater, hopeful of making a fresh start in a new town,
although Ava can't but help keep looking over her shoulder. They're almost at
their destination when they witness a shocking accident - a light plane
crashing in the field next to the road. Ava stops to help, but when she gets
back to the car, she realises that somewhere, amongst the smoke, fire and
confusion, her sons have gone missing...
My musings:
Before you pick up this book, make sure you understand the
meaning of: “beautifully written, propulsive, tense, gut-wrenching and
unputdownable” in the blurb. Especially the “gut-wrenching” bit. Or shall I say
“gut-punching”? Because after finishing it this morning, I still feel strangely
winded and hollow.
Let me also make it clear that you should not make the same
mistake I made, and pick this up thinking it is mainly a mystery. I was
somewhat puzzled when the “mystery” component was pretty much obsolete by the
second part of the book. Instead, choose this book knowing it is about
relationships, parenthood, trauma, domestic abuse (in all its shapes and form)
and the unravelling of the human psyche into darkness.
You will get a taste of what is to follow from the very
opening pages, when a small plane crashes into a field next to the Great Ocean
Road in Victoria. Ava and her two small children are the first on scene. Ava
feels the same dilemma any mother in that situation would face – she has
children in the car, should she stop or just drive on and call for help? With
her rescuer background, she cannot resist the compulsion to render assistance.
Instructing the boys to stay in the car and look away, she sets off to give
first aid. And thus her fate is forever changed.
Swann writes beautifully and lyrically, conjuring up the
stunning scenery of the Victorian coastline with her words. This is a two-sided
sword, because her horrific scenes are just as vivid and unescapable as the
tranquil ones (which are thankfully thrown into the mix every now and then to
give the reader breathing space). Her characters are well drawn, their
emotional baggage relatable, their plight unimaginable. With an uncanny insight
into the human psyche, she teases out her characters’ darkest secrets, slowly
and gradually, so that the picture we may have formed initially soon begins to
unravel. It is very difficult to discuss this book without spoilers, so I will
keep it brief. I had a lot of assumptions challenged. I was duly terrified when
all the clues led to the inevitable finale, and yet I was not prepared for it.
Relationships feature strongly in this novel. Ava and
Laurence’s marriage, which we gradually learn more about as the story
progresses. The mother-daughter relationship between Ava and her mother.
Motherhood. Brotherhood. Fatherhood, as seen through the eyes of Laurence,
which will hold some surprises. Friendships in the most unexpected places.
Dysfuntional, some of them.
Yes, I will leave it here because as much as I would like to
blurt out some of the details that absolutely sucker punched me, I will not
spoil it for you. Read it with a buddy, one you can call in the middle of the
night when you have read the last page and need a friend as much as a 1800
helpline.
Thank you for review. I just posted my review of this book. I am still under impression and impact of this story... And thank you for the amazing image. I (c) you and your blog in my post. Good luck (snowqueensvt)
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