You, Me & the Sea

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The island setting is a strong element of the story; not only does it function as a mechanism to throw two unlikely types together, but it also provides its own elemental wildness and sense of danger. (There also some descriptions of the sort of birds to be found on a northern Scottish island, and I found that bit of the book enjoyable.). Rachel has been hired as a temporary housekeeper for the bird conservatory, which means that she and Fraser are thrown together as both roommates. Their relationship also has an element of mentorship as Fraser teaches her much about the natural life on the island. When it comes to emotional matters, Rachel tends to take more of a lead - and that aspect comes into play when a mysterious occupant of the lighthouse is revealed. Meg Donohue has turned out a beautifully written, lushly and evocatively detailed and heart-rending book that was swirling with atmosphere and sea mist. I was captivated, devastated, and engrossed from beginning to end. Written in the first person POV of Merrow, an adult woman at a significant crossroads and recalling her childhood, which was peppered with a love of the land and ocean yet heartbreaking and cringe-worthy with unpredictable violence, humiliation, intentional neglect, and vicious cruelty perpetrated by her older brother upon her and her best friend, an orphaned boy of the same age who had come to live with her family as her father’s ward. The family was rather isolated and lived like hillbillies in a small rustic cabin in a small rural yet coastal area of California. You, Me & The Sea which is being published in February 2021 is a love story set on an isolated, windswept island in Scotland and whilst there are two main characters, Fraser and Rachel, the Isle of Must is such an integral part of the story that it becomes the third character – living, breathing and real in my mind.

One thing the author really nailed was the setting. Instead of the wild Yorkshire moors, we have the beautiful Northern California coastline. The author’s description and Merrow’s own recounting of her childhood home that has an almost intoxicating pull on her will enthrall the readers. It makes you want to move to a cottage by the sea and run among the California orchards. But Merrow’s heart is set on Amir - isn’t it? After all, he’s been with her through hard times and he promised to be with her forever. But an unexpected event shows Merrow that maybe people are not always what you expect them to be.Well ..... I could just say 'Wow', and leave it there. Pop off to your nearest book retailer and get yourself a copy, you will not be disappointed. I could say that, but there's so so much more that I want to say, so I will! The best way I can describe this novel is that this is a gentler rendition of Bronte’s literary work. In Bronte’s novel, the characters can only best be described as selfish, stupid, vicious, and cruel to each other. They hurt each other where it hurts the most and the cycle repeats itself throughout the next generations. Donohue’s reworking makes the characters almost genial to each other. Yes, her versions of Cathy and Heathcliff have the same wildness about them as Bronte’s original characters, but they are softened around the edges to make them immensely more likable. Cathy and Heathcliff would surely turn up their noses at Merrow and Amir, but those who detested Bronte’s novel for the characters being immensely unlikable will find this a welcome change. Firstly, there is the totally glorious setting of Must that utterly transported me from the flat fens where I live to the rugged Scottish island. Elizabeth Haynes captures it so vividly, and employs nature and weather to counterbalance and underpin the narrative with such brilliance that the island is every bit as much a character as are Rachel, Fraser and Lefty. Descriptions are evocative and realistic with all the senses catered for in an immersive and convincing way. Frasers cooking in particular is so realistic I was ravenous and I felt as if I were there on the cliffs, breathing in the salt air with the others. You, Me & The Sea is a bewitching maelstrom of sensory delight. Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate.

I devoured this book in two days; not because it was an amazing story, but because I wanted to know how it was going to end. The book is rather predictable as it ended exactly as I anticipated. However, the story is beautifully written, the characters are outstanding, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

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Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, or the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted. Elizabeth’s first 6 books are all dark thrillers either in the police procedural genre or standalone psychological thrillers so when I received a book in the post from her in 2018 called The Murder of Harriet Monkton, a historical fiction book I was surprised and slightly apprehensive because it was such a change from her previous books, but it was absolutely INCREDIBLE and proved that Ms Haynes is a woman of many talents! Amir & Merrow’s relationship is not healthy & I cannot believe the author thought this was path to go with. On and on we hear how these two were part of each other and it’s just....no, these two characters were traumatized as children by the same abuser who was their older brother/adopted brother and all three were poorly cared for by the father/guardian & other adults in their lives. That’s not a healthy foundation for a relationship. Also they were adoptive siblings, no matter how much they say they’re not brother & sister.