Wyl Menmuir

The Draw of the Sea by Wyl Menmuir offers the reader glimpses into the lives of the people Menmuir has known as well as into what makes the sea (or any large body of water for that matter) so compelling.

The portraits that comprise so much of this book, along with Menmuir's personal experiences throughout, draw the reader into a world (or worlds) where nature, in this case the sea, is an integral part of each person's identity. It isn't just about living near the water or working on the water, it is how life, of the person, the sea, and the community, all come together into a whole.

Particularly compelling is the way the reader is led to relate things to their own lives. If you've lived near an ocean or a major bay (as I have) or near any other natural formation that dominates all around it, you will likely find some parallels with some of the stories in the book. In fact, you may find yourself gaining a new perspective on things in your own life.

While I would recommend this to most readers who enjoy creative nonfiction, I would highly recommend it to people who have spent any significant time living near the water. In fact, I think those of us who have spent a fair part of our lives near water but now find ourselves more landlocked are the ideal readers. We will feel a bit of nostalgia while we learn about these kindred spirits.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (more)

I got this book because I read good things about it and about how the author created it by typing it while living in a camper van at a small coastal village and going out on a fishing boat. So I guess I came to it with high expectations and was left slightly disappointed. In the end I thought that it was a bit woolly and not well thought out.

Like who was the woman by the van with the heavies? She was introduced and repeatedly added along the way as if she was of some import to the whole thing and yet in the end who was she? To me she ended up as distraction and was one of the woolly elements. Maybe the author thought that the intrigue of her would keep the reader interested? Not for me though, I kinda like things to get tied up a bit more neatly than that. In character based novels I like resolution.

I was also troubled by the dream sequences. I thought they were principally there to carry the story on without actually adding anything of value, a bit like the author couldn’t figure out how to get from a to b so he added a dream to muddle a way through.

Having said all that I think I was more disappointed because it starts of so well and never quite reaches its potential. It doesn’t really reach an end so much as fade out. And yet the writing style is gripping and the characters, at leat the main ones are drawn so well that you could feel them. It had all the dark undertones of a classic modern horror/thriller and initially I was excited to be reading it.… (more)

Looking to buy a second home in Cornwall, Timothy finds a house in a fishing village. The first time the rest of the village realise that there is someone present in the house is when smoke drifts from the chimney. The previous owner, Perran, died mysteriously 10 years earlier and the house has sat empty ever since, but his dominant character still haunts the village.

Quite why Timothy has bought the house in this village is not clear; it is far from a welcoming place and the sea is heavily polluted as he finds out one day after emerging after a swim. More sinister though is the barrier of huge container ships that stop the fishermen from venturing too far out., and the grey-suited officials that buy the meagre catch from the fishermen of the village.

The fragile equilibrium that has existed since the death of Perran is under threat though as Timothy has lots of questions. He wants to take a trip out in the boats to see what they catch, to head to the ships that crowd the horizon to see why they are there and to find out what happened to Perran. These are questions that no one in the village wants asked, and they really don't want a stranger asking them.

Menmuir has taken a county normally associated with holidays, sunshine and cream teas and dropped a disconcerting and unsettling novel on it. This dystopian future of a coastal setting is quite disturbing, there is the environmental catastrophe, the Orwellian overtones and a secret that the villagers will not speak of. The tension between Timothy and the villagers is palpable, how can an outsider come and demand answers to questions that they have no wish to talk about. Menmuir's writing is quite special, the prose taught and sparse, but for me, it left many questions unanswered as the narrative swirled between reality and the flashbacks. I did like it, but I felt that the I wasn't always sure what is going on. One to read again as I am sure there are hidden depths within.… (more)