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Sea of Whispers
Somehow the boat was still afloat - another wave had lifted it clear of the first rock and was driving it further inshore. It bumped against the base of Crab Rock and skewed around, then tipped momentarily to starboard...and as it did so, she saw a figure crouching in the bottom.
Hetty's always been a bit of a loner, preferring to keep to the outer edges of the close-knit island community. But when a strange woman is washed up on the shore, Hetty finds herself under increasing scrutiny from the islanders. There's a connection between Hetty and the woman that makes people suspicious, so when death comes to the community the woman is branded a bad omen and Hetty has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
As she heads out to sea, a storm is breaking and the whispers that she's heard before are louder than ever. Voices from the very depths of the sea . . . and they're calling her name.
Hetty's always been a bit of a loner, preferring to keep to the outer edges of the close-knit island community. But when a strange woman is washed up on the shore, Hetty finds herself under increasing scrutiny from the islanders. There's a connection between Hetty and the woman that makes people suspicious, so when death comes to the community the woman is branded a bad omen and Hetty has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
As she heads out to sea, a storm is breaking and the whispers that she's heard before are louder than ever. Voices from the very depths of the sea . . . and they're calling her name.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Tim Bowler
60 books157 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.
Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.
Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.
Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 29, 2014
A small boat, containing a frail old lady, is shipwrecked on a small island and many of the inhabitants react negatively to the new arrival.
This is a bit of an odd story that I felt didn’t really go anywhere, but was reasonably well written.
This is a bit of an odd story that I felt didn’t really go anywhere, but was reasonably well written.
May 27, 2018
Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed this book if I was still a teenager.
November 6, 2013
Hetty lives with her grandmother on the remote island of Mora.
She has always thought of herself as...different. Hetty sees things - mysterious shapes in pieces of sea glass she finds along Mora's many coves and beaches. However, the shapes never seem to mean anything - that is until the day of a great storm, a shipwreck, and a woman is washed ashore. A stranger in Mora.
The woman is the image Hetty has been seeing in the sea glass, and even in her weakened state, she seems to recognise Hetty too.
Many of the islanders are not so accepting of the stranger's arrival however. The Elders see her as an ill omen - a jinx, who not only created the storm but wrecked their boat. Soon accusations of witchcraft are flying and Hetty finds herself fighting to protect the sea glass stranger, with extreme results.
I found Sea of Whispers mesmerising. Its so lyrical. I flew through this novel. The islanders' hostility was very powerfully depicted. Its a novel that certainly reaches the reader's emotions.
One aspect I loved is that the reader is unaware of the time setting for this novel. The remote community is very self-sufficient with no mentions of technology. It could be of an ancient people or it could be more recent. I like my history so I prefer to think of Mora at an Iron Age sort of time (no roundhouses though!).
Sea of Whispers is the first Tim Bowler novel I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more.
She has always thought of herself as...different. Hetty sees things - mysterious shapes in pieces of sea glass she finds along Mora's many coves and beaches. However, the shapes never seem to mean anything - that is until the day of a great storm, a shipwreck, and a woman is washed ashore. A stranger in Mora.
The woman is the image Hetty has been seeing in the sea glass, and even in her weakened state, she seems to recognise Hetty too.
Many of the islanders are not so accepting of the stranger's arrival however. The Elders see her as an ill omen - a jinx, who not only created the storm but wrecked their boat. Soon accusations of witchcraft are flying and Hetty finds herself fighting to protect the sea glass stranger, with extreme results.
I found Sea of Whispers mesmerising. Its so lyrical. I flew through this novel. The islanders' hostility was very powerfully depicted. Its a novel that certainly reaches the reader's emotions.
One aspect I loved is that the reader is unaware of the time setting for this novel. The remote community is very self-sufficient with no mentions of technology. It could be of an ancient people or it could be more recent. I like my history so I prefer to think of Mora at an Iron Age sort of time (no roundhouses though!).
Sea of Whispers is the first Tim Bowler novel I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more.
February 2, 2015
It wasn't a story that's full of action and twists; but I wanted to see what would happen to Hetty and the island next. The descriptions painted a beautiful and vivid picture of the scenery; the sea, the beaches, the cliffs etc. Everything was clear to see in my imagination. As well as this, the main character, Hetty, was incredibly well developed with a number of layers; she wasn't just a wispy 2D form on a page.
The ending wasn't overly conclusive, but it did wrap up most of the loose ends. Hetty made her choice to leave the island; I guess she felt like the old lady had let her here for a reason. A simple but effective ending to a very well written book.
The ending wasn't overly conclusive, but it did wrap up most of the loose ends. Hetty made her choice to leave the island; I guess she felt like the old lady had let her here for a reason. A simple but effective ending to a very well written book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2014
I don't know what it is but this Tim bowler book just didn't hit the spot with me, I don't know of it is because I have such high expectations since storm catchers and shadows but both this and his last book about the fox were just not memorable - they always have the spark of a genius, but for me, this one just didn't find it's mark.
January 21, 2020
Like a lot of others I struggled to get into this book and found it didn't quite hit the high notes that I've come to expect from Tim Bowler's work. I actually tried to read this three years ago and was unmotivated to finish it; I came back to it as part of a Reading Bingo challenge that required me to read a book in which the ocean plays a big role, and decided to give it another go.
One of the things I struggled with is that the main character, Hetty, isn't easy to like; she has an obsession with sea glass in which she can see shapes that she believes mean things, and she gets frustrated with others for being unable to see them. She's also incredibly stubborn and doesn't seem to care that much how her actions affect other people. She effectively turns her back on her whole community for the sake of a strange woman who can't even speak to her, all because she thinks she saw the woman's face in the sea glass - and we're supposed to side with her on this, but I found it hard to.
After starting to view Hetty as a girl who is struggling to cope with the loss of her parents, I found her a little easier to empathise with, but I think this would have been more effective if she'd been older when her parents died (meaning that the loss was more recent and impactful) and if the character arc of Hetty coming to terms with her parents' death had been more pronounced and better resolved.
The sea glass also didn't have much of a role to play considering how much the narrative was fixated on it. The whole story could easily have happened without it. In general the 'spiritual' or otherworldly elements of this didn't weave into the main story as well as they do in something like Starseeker. The whispers from the sea, which give the book its name, were similarly difficult to fathom and didn't seem to have a meaningful part to play, either as a metaphor or in the plot itself. What were they? Why did Hetty hear them?
I liked the ending of the story in which Hetty finds a new family and community on Haga, but it made it feel like most of the action on Mora and the worldbuilding that went into that community was pointless. Part of me was holding out for an ending in which Hetty goes back to the community, apologises for her behaviour and is accepted back by them. (I don't think she was completely in the wrong with it, but she did have some bridges to mend).
Other things that made little sense: Per's insistence that the woman was "evil" and the islanders' superstition towards her presence. I suppose it was meant to showcase their small-mindedness, but it seemed like it was building towards something that didn't materialise, and felt unresolved because nothing ultimately came of it. It was like the first two thirds of the story built itself around a conflict and the final third ignored that conflict and went off in a different direction.
Final thoughts: Mackie was the MVP of the story and it was clear how he served as a surrogate father figure for Hetty and how much she'd learned from him. I loved their reunion on Haga but would have liked to see more of that relationship during the story. Also, Tam was a lovely friend to Hetty and she treated him pretty badly considering how much he stuck by her. That didn't really get resolved, either.
One of the things I struggled with is that the main character, Hetty, isn't easy to like; she has an obsession with sea glass in which she can see shapes that she believes mean things, and she gets frustrated with others for being unable to see them. She's also incredibly stubborn and doesn't seem to care that much how her actions affect other people. She effectively turns her back on her whole community for the sake of a strange woman who can't even speak to her, all because she thinks she saw the woman's face in the sea glass - and we're supposed to side with her on this, but I found it hard to.
After starting to view Hetty as a girl who is struggling to cope with the loss of her parents, I found her a little easier to empathise with, but I think this would have been more effective if she'd been older when her parents died (meaning that the loss was more recent and impactful) and if the character arc of Hetty coming to terms with her parents' death had been more pronounced and better resolved.
The sea glass also didn't have much of a role to play considering how much the narrative was fixated on it. The whole story could easily have happened without it. In general the 'spiritual' or otherworldly elements of this didn't weave into the main story as well as they do in something like Starseeker. The whispers from the sea, which give the book its name, were similarly difficult to fathom and didn't seem to have a meaningful part to play, either as a metaphor or in the plot itself. What were they? Why did Hetty hear them?
I liked the ending of the story in which Hetty finds a new family and community on Haga, but it made it feel like most of the action on Mora and the worldbuilding that went into that community was pointless. Part of me was holding out for an ending in which Hetty goes back to the community, apologises for her behaviour and is accepted back by them. (I don't think she was completely in the wrong with it, but she did have some bridges to mend).
Other things that made little sense: Per's insistence that the woman was "evil" and the islanders' superstition towards her presence. I suppose it was meant to showcase their small-mindedness, but it seemed like it was building towards something that didn't materialise, and felt unresolved because nothing ultimately came of it. It was like the first two thirds of the story built itself around a conflict and the final third ignored that conflict and went off in a different direction.
Final thoughts: Mackie was the MVP of the story and it was clear how he served as a surrogate father figure for Hetty and how much she'd learned from him. I loved their reunion on Haga but would have liked to see more of that relationship during the story. Also, Tam was a lovely friend to Hetty and she treated him pretty badly considering how much he stuck by her. That didn't really get resolved, either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2017
This is quite a unique book to me, and not one that I would expect Tim Bowler to write. In my experience, his books tend to be about bullying or gangs or people being bullied BY gangs, or running away from gangs and...You get the picture. Mainly gang-related stuff.
Whereas this story was about an isolated community, about grief and loss (and NOT the countless amounts of YA novels where some lost love commits suicide and then the protag has to recover from it over a long period of time, that's really getting monotonous). The main character was quite well-written and I enjoyed quite a lot of the other characters too.
In a way this story was about life and death. I do think Hetty was crazy to do what she did though. She's a 15-year old girl and she takes it upon herself to takes this dying woman home, by sneaking onto the village's only ship to make a long voyage which almost kills her in the process? I...how...?
Anyway, Hetty is a very strong character and showed a lot of bravery and strong mentality throughout the story. She never stopped giving up and was very resilient and I liked that about her. Her grandma was also a great character and reminded me of a few of my relatives. Also, for some reason I really liked Mackie especially, always standing up for Hetty, and i almost wish he had a bigger part to play in this book.
I can't really think of anything to improve upon in this book, except that the ending where Hetty says she wants to stay at Haga seems *slightly* rushed. She makes it to this next island and makes the decision she wants to stay here forever? As does her grandma? Well, okay.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read, although it doesn't come through until possibly halfway through the book.
Whereas this story was about an isolated community, about grief and loss (and NOT the countless amounts of YA novels where some lost love commits suicide and then the protag has to recover from it over a long period of time, that's really getting monotonous). The main character was quite well-written and I enjoyed quite a lot of the other characters too.
In a way this story was about life and death. I do think Hetty was crazy to do what she did though. She's a 15-year old girl and she takes it upon herself to takes this dying woman home, by sneaking onto the village's only ship to make a long voyage which almost kills her in the process? I...how...?
Anyway, Hetty is a very strong character and showed a lot of bravery and strong mentality throughout the story. She never stopped giving up and was very resilient and I liked that about her. Her grandma was also a great character and reminded me of a few of my relatives. Also, for some reason I really liked Mackie especially, always standing up for Hetty, and i almost wish he had a bigger part to play in this book.
I can't really think of anything to improve upon in this book, except that the ending where Hetty says she wants to stay at Haga seems *slightly* rushed. She makes it to this next island and makes the decision she wants to stay here forever? As does her grandma? Well, okay.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read, although it doesn't come through until possibly halfway through the book.
July 22, 2021
Was not a very interesting story for me. Also, I quite dislike the main character. I thought she comes off as really rude or disrespectful in some instances..we’re not given the sense that she’s just 15. As an adult reader, I wasn’t blown away by this book.
May 5, 2019
The best
April 10, 2020
A little confused... But you should read it! It's a lovely story of a girl, who lives with her grandmother on a island, Mora. I can't tell you more ahah!
August 21, 2015
Nem sei muito bem o que dizer. A história pareceu-me sem sentido e em alguns momentos muito aborrecida. O desfecho não me convenceu e odiei o final. Acho que só não desisti porque, apesar de tudo, está bem escrito. A forma como o autor descreve a ilha e a intempérie que a atormenta fez-me sentir a força da natureza, o que me agradou sobretudo devido à minha paixão pelo Inverno, por tempestades e regiões quase selvagens. Apenas por isso ficou a vontade de experimentar outro livro do autor.
September 26, 2015
Not a usual read for me, but I really liked it. It is very atmospheric and I got a really good feel for the landscape and the characters. The tension between Hetty and Old Per was especially well written.
March 8, 2013
I loved this book. It has a slightly unresolved ending but I think you are always just meant to wonder about it. A great read
May 18, 2013
A quick read with a hint of mystery.
April 26, 2014
It was awesome :D
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews