BookwormBy John Andrews
I have left Newsletter readers in peace during the summer, particularly as so many weekend glossies have listed at length books to read while lying on some distant beach.
My recommendation this month is set in Tasmania and was among a bundle of excellent books which I devoured during the long damp summer.
Nicholas Shakespeare was born in Worcester and has written a batch of bestsellers including The High Flyer, The Dancer Upstairs and the much acclaimed In Tasmania.
Secrets of the Sea, Shakespeare’s latest work, was published this year in paperback by Vintage and concerns Alex Dove who, following the death of his parents in a car crash, is sent to boarding school in England. When Alex returns to Tasmania 12 years later he finds hostility to his English connections and his late parents’ farm neglected and poorly managed.
Alex meets Merridy, a young woman whose life has also been marked by tragedy, and together they try to put the farm back into a viable business.
However, following a storm that damages parts of the farm and Merridy’s oyster beds, a disquieting guest takes up residence in the farm and the carefully nurtured relationship between Alex and Merridy starts to unravel.
Set against the backdrop of one of the most remote and beautiful islands in the world, this is a wonderful example of measured and confident storytelling.