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A review by susannavs
Secrets of the Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
3.0
A dual timeline tale of a couple who discover the remains of an infant buried in the house they bought on a Scottish Island, and the minister who lived in the house in the 1860s, the fate of the Scottish peoples and stories of the 'selkies' from Scottish lore.
I really enjoyed the Rev. Ferguson and Moira chapters - his more than hers though. The modern day chapters were good, but I found something lacking. I expected more of a tie between the two timelines (unless I missed something), and there were parts (of both Ruth and Moira's stories) that I felt could have been eliminated without detracting from the story. I never fully understood what Ruth did (yes, she provided anatomical drawings of lizards for an academic book, but it felt like that was forced in just so the author would have the "lizard brain" as a convenient explanation for what Ruth felt and did), and Moira's intent on revenge was half-hearted.
Not knowing a lot about the selkie legends, it was quite fascinating to hear of one possible explanation for them. The author also obviously did a lot of research into conditions in the Scottish isles at the time.
I like the narrators of Ferguson and Moira, but Ruth's was a bit clipped and too precise at times.
I really enjoyed the Rev. Ferguson and Moira chapters - his more than hers though. The modern day chapters were good, but I found something lacking. I expected more of a tie between the two timelines (unless I missed something), and there were parts (of both Ruth and Moira's stories) that I felt could have been eliminated without detracting from the story. I never fully understood what Ruth did (yes, she provided anatomical drawings of lizards for an academic book, but it felt like that was forced in just so the author would have the "lizard brain" as a convenient explanation for what Ruth felt and did), and Moira's intent on revenge was half-hearted.
Not knowing a lot about the selkie legends, it was quite fascinating to hear of one possible explanation for them. The author also obviously did a lot of research into conditions in the Scottish isles at the time.
I like the narrators of Ferguson and Moira, but Ruth's was a bit clipped and too precise at times.