Harper - 2013
Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel covers a lot of ground. Job loss, sleep disorders, marital discourse, a young child who stops speaking and communicates only by signing, death of a parent, a hurricane and more.
The story begins with Georgia's husband Graham losing his tenure at Northwestern University in Illinois. There is a scandal associated with the situation as well. Graham has a rare sleep disorder (parasomnia) which has caused him to do some strange things he is not aware of. He has terrified others in the process, and the situation seems to only be getting worst.
To save face and start fresh the family, which includes a young son named Frankie, moves back to the Miami area where Georgia is from. However, Georgia wonders if she and Frankie are safe.
While I loved the setting of the novel and how the author does a terrific job creating an atmospheric feel through most of the story, I struggled to stay engaged with this one. There is way too much going on in this novel. The story is also told in the form of flashbacks, which on my opinion does nor work all that well in a story like this with so much going on. I was curious to find out what had caused little Frankie to stop speaking and whether the sleep disorder surfaced again once the family moved, so I kept reading. Unfortunately, this novel just did not work out that well for me.
2.5/5 stars
Sorry this didn't work for you. I'll still give it a try since I loved Stiltsville by the same author.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it could have been a great book. I am intrigued by the sleep disorder premise so I may add this one to my list.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry this one didn't work for you, Diane. I've been curious about this one, but not enough to add it to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it, but I can understand why it was difficult at times. Eventually I adapted to her style. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBummer. I have trouble with stories that are too busy to be engaging and that sounds like that's what this was.
ReplyDeleteFlashbacks? That's all you needed to say. I do not like flashbacks.
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