This novel, while not an overtly happy story, is nonetheless a joy to read. Although focusing on the finely-written Alex and Merridy, the other characters weave in and out of the narrative; no one is superfluous and everything once mentioned comes into play later in the book. A couple of minor characters (an old man, who writes the town newsletter, and an itinerant English spearfisherman, who apparently appears in all of Shakespeare's novels) have the funny role of Greek chorus, watching the action and commenting on it, but only being tangentially involved; it’s unusual but it works. The author, Nicholas Shakespeare, who lives in England but spends four months out of the year in Tasmania, does a wonderful job of evoking the joys and tribulations of small town life: the busybodies, the network of support, the impact of personal tragedy on the community as a whole.
Secrets of the Sea is a fantastic, thoughtful novel. It is an intense love story, grounded in earth and saltwater, and in love as much with Tasmania as with its protagonists.
Article comments