Amity Gaige's "Sea wife"

 

You can find this book here.

Gaige's novel is a sea adventure; at least on the outside. Juliet's husband Michael buys a sailboat and persuades her and their two children to live at sea for a year. And so, the sea "adventure" begins. The inside of this novel though; is about Juliet and her marriage, her relationship to her family, and her own individuality and identity that has been overtaken, it seems, by postpartum depression. 

The writing is a very smooth read; and offers the two perspectives of Juliet and Michael. Juliet's is in real-time, but Michael's voices comes through written logs during the sailing. There are, in the back of the book, excerpts of other styles of writing such as emails and radio interviews; however, I felt that these did not add to the story and once that final page of the narrative is read, everything is resolved as it can be. I do think that being able to see both voices in the marriage is a strong tough and adds authenticity to both voices and the ability to see things differently, or the fact that we all put lenses over things depending on our experiences, personalities, histories and lives. 

Whilst readers who enjoy sea jargon are going to love this aspect of the novel, those unfamiliar with sailing (like myself) may feel overwhelmed by the focus. However, it again adds authenticity to the life the family are living. This book is also not a thrill-ride, but more a look at characters and underlying tensions that can exist but aren't brought to the surface as strongly until you are stuck at sea with them for a long period of time (politics comes up from time to time for example that seems to focus on the 2016 U.S. election). In this way, the novel is more relational, focussing on characters. There is a mysterious tone surrounding Michael; however, this is a very light shade of mystery, that resolves itself when it should.

Emotions and communication are strong themes in this book, among other things, and so if you want to read about these balances between a wife and husband, pick up this book. It is an easy-read and the language flows well. Just don't expect a kraken in the water.

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Read-a-likes in the Library:

Monogomy

Sue Miller

This book has a little more psychological tension than Gaige's; however the focus is on long-term marriage, relationships and identities within them. It's also not at sea.

Only story

Julian Barnes

Again, whilst not at sea, this book focusses on marriage and reflections of love, life and memory.