The Sea House (original 2003; edition 2004)

What I enjoyed most in this book were the descriptions of the British (North sea) coast, and the seaside village. I felt as if I was actually there, hiking along the river, the estuary, the marshes and the beach, smelling the sea, feeling the wind and the sun, the sand between my toes. Getting to know the village and its inhabitants, just as the two main characters of this novel, Max and Lily, do. Seriously, if I had lived a little closer I would actually have gone there for the weekend to finish this book there!

This novel follows the two characters during their stay in the village of Steerborough. Max in 1953 and Lily about half a century later. Both are outsiders who have come to the village from London to escape some sort of loneliness. Max has just lost his sister, who has been the most important person in his life since he escaped the Nazi's in Germany in the late 1930's, and who he has lived with in London (almost) ever since. Lily escapes from a relationship that she has serious doubts about. Max paints the village on a scroll, while Lily studies the letters that the architect Klaus Lehmann wrote to his wife Elsa over the years, hoping to use them for her thesis. Both find temporary love that cannot last.

Apart from the extensive descriptions of the setting (the village and its surroundings) the most important subject of the book is love and relationships. But somehow this subject of love was lacking depth. As said, there were many parallels between the two story lines, and I wondered why Esther Freud made the choice for two stories instead of one. If she had chosen for one story line she could have given that story more depth. Now it seemed unbalanced somehow. ( )

Tijdens mijn vakantie heb ik dit mooie boek herlezen. Het verhaal is goed, anders dan de andere boeken van Esther Freud en heel beeldend geschreven. Een aanrader! ( )

I found the book confusing for quite a while but by the finish I had warmed to the writer's straight-forward style and excellent descriptive writing. It is quite a complicated story set in two time periods. ( )

Touching reationship led fiction ( )

I really had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. The inside front cover revealed that Esther Freud also wrote Hideus Kinky - a book I’ve heard about but haven’t read.

In the first chapter we are introduced to Max Meyer as he arrives in Steerborough; almost immediately we learn that Max is deaf and has just lost his sister.

In the second chapter Lily also arrives in Steerborough; renting Fern Cottage where she will spend her time reading letters written by Klaus Lehmann, and architect as part of her thesis research.

The book revolves around these two characters, their stories being told in alternating chapters. Interestingly they are not in Steerborough at the same time, but you have to progress quite far through the book before you find out which years their visits took place in.

It’s hard to say too much about this book without giving the story away - there are many twists and turns and Freud keeps you guessing until the end. There was one akward moment where I thought it would turn into a happily ever after chick lit… but luckily that wasn’t the case.

This is a book about love, relationships, secrets and choices. I read most of it in one sitting; I kept saying to myself “I’ll stop at the end of the next chapter” but then was intrigued as to how the tale would unfold for each character… before I knew it I’d reached the end!

I’ve found myself thinking about this book since I finished yesterday afternoon, I felt I got to know Max and Lily quite well and didn’t want to move onto another book too soon.

I’ve given this book 4 stars as I doubt I’ll ever read it again, but as a one-off read I highly recommend it. ( )