A review by bringmybooks
Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

well, I absolutely loved that.

✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

In an oversaturated genre that tends to get repetitive (don’t get me wrong, I still love it), I think Beyond That, The Sea stands out in a really moving, slow, beautiful way. 

(Also important to note that I can also see how this could be a really divisive book; I think the narrative choices are either going to work for you or they aren’t. Also worth noting that this is a heavily character driven novel, which normally isn’t my jam, but I loved it here.)

It’s a unique novel that is built almost entirely around the narration (the dialogue is sparse, and when it does appear, is italicized in the paragraph as an afterthought rather than a driving force). While covering almost 30 years, the book seems to keep you in settled in one place - namely, the characters.

There’s a lot of moral ambiguity to be found here, and in some aspects a lot of it feels really bleak, and kind of hopeless … while also somehow maintaining a real sense of otherworldly solemnity that makes it feel really poignant. (Sounds pretentious as all get out, I know. But that’s how it felt, so there.)

Honestly, I think you’ll either love this one or you won’t - but it’s also safe to say that if you don’t love it by 25% in, it’s not your jam. As for me? I can easily see this making it into my Top Ten of 2023.
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