Like Caitlin_D said, this one takes a bit to get going, but Jojo definitely gets her claws in you. I flew through the last 100 pages, dying to know how this one ended.
“Look out at the sea for long enough, at its moods and frenzies, at its beauties and terrors, and you’ll have all the stories you need— of love and danger, and about what life lands in your nets. And the fact that sometimes it’s not your hand on the tiller, and you can do no more than trust that it’ll all work out okay.”
Liza McCullen has been hiding from an unnamed tragedy at her aunt’s little (failing) hotel in Silver Bay for years, along with her daughter. One thing I’ve noticed about Jojo Moyes (reinforced by One Plus One, which I just finished): she does a wonderful job of writing precocious, but not-annoying, children. Anyway, Liza has been living with Aunt Kathleen, rather peacefully although she’s an obvious worrier. One day, a businessman named Mike shows up with his eye on the property and everything changes.
Yes, they fall in love. Yes, Liza’s deep dark secret gets revealed and everyone deals with the consequences. But while the bare bones might be predictable, the actual plot is anything but. I was totally amazed by the big reveal, then the bigger reveal, and basically stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t put the damn thing down.
