Of Sea and Cloud

by Jon Keller

Nicolas Graves raised his sons to be lobstermen. Bill and Joshua (known as Jonah) Graves grew up aboard their father’s boat—the Cinderella—learning the rules and rites of the antiquated business they love. But when their father is lost at sea and the price of lobster crashes worldwide, Bill and Jonah must decide how much they are willing to risk for their family legacy.

Standing against them is Osmond Raymond— the town minister, mystic, captain of The Revelation, and their father’s business partner for more than twenty years. Together with his grandson and heir, Tonto, Osmond is determined to push the Graves family out of their lobster pound, regardless of the cost or the consequences.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Larry H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received an advance readers copy of this book from NetGalleys in exchange for an unbiased review.

Nicolas Graves has known nothing more than the life of a lobsterman. Day in, day out, year after year, he has focused on hauling in lobsters, setting his traps, and worrying about the price per pound. This single-minded focus was for the benefit of his family, but while he and his son Bill were tremendously close, his relationship with his son Joshua (known as Jonah) was fraught with tension and misunderstanding from an early age.

When Nicolas is lost at sea, Bill and Jonah pick up their father's mantle as lobstermen. Both learned at their father's side, and while Jonah left to go to college, he returned to follow in his father's footsteps. Yet their father's death has left them at odds—the two sons don't share the same opinions on what to do next, and have different priorities, especially as the price of lobster plunges across the world.

Bill wants nothing more than to continue as his father would, while Jonah isn't sure that this way of life is the answer anymore. While Bill finds himself enmeshed in a romantic relationship with a girl he grew up with, Jonah is restless and wonders whether his father's death wasn't some kind of sign. Yet as the brothers struggle with each other, and Jonah must deal with his unresolved feelings about his relationship with his father.

But Bill and Jonah also find themselves at odds with an unexpected enemy—Osmond Raymond, their father's partner in the lobster pound business for years. Osmond is also the town preacher and a deeply vengeful and difficult man. Despite his years of loyalty and friendship with Nicolas, he is determined to take control of the business for the sake of his children and grandchildren—no matter what the cost to Bill and Jonah, and no matter what gets destroyed in the process.

Of Sea and Cloud is a powerful story of loyalty—to family, friends, and a way of life that gets harder and harder. It's a story of relationships, resentments, unspoken fears and hurts and arguments. It's also a story of fighting for what you believe in, no matter what the cost. It's a familiar story, but Jon Keller tells it quite adeptly.

Keller is an excellent writer, and this book has a very strong voice that makes you feel as if you're among the lobstermen, deeply enmeshed in their day-to-day struggles. While these characters may be similar to others you've seen in other books, Keller's storytelling ability still keeps them interesting and fresh, and makes you want to keep reading about them. The feeling of tension and of weariness are palpable in this book, and they really set the mood.

The life of lobstermen is one I can't really imagine, but Of Sea and Cloud gave me enough insight into their challenges that I was able to understand why they do what they do every day, and why they struggle in face of danger and economic challenges. This is an interesting, well-told book that resonates.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is filled with palpably cold pages, as raw and stark as the winter sea in Maine. The author has an intimate understanding of character, time, and place and this story is both gripping and deeply real. There are no easy answers here, no neat endings, heroes or even hope. There is simply the community, the sea, and people surviving in a rapidly changing world. I really found this novel fascinatingly original and mesmerizing. Highly recommended!

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word raw comes to mind when thinking on this book. Raw, cold, Maine weather and sea water. Raw emotions and relationships. Powerful is another word that comes to mind. Powerful storytelling, powerful characters, and of course the powerful north Atlantic ocean. I love Maine. It's stark ruggedness draws me for some reason. You have to be made of stern stock to survive there. The first time I visited there I was mesmerized with the rough rocky coastline where huge boulders sat, thrown there like they were softballs by a mad and churning sea. And yet growing out of the cracks of these rocks were tiny wildflowers. I don't particularly like the 'beach', the warm sandy beach for swimming and laying in the sun, but this shore I can stand next to all day with the wind blowing and the waves booming. This is what Maine does to people. It captures you. This book will capture you too.

The tale takes place in winter. Gorgeous writing describing the icy sea and the wind. This is a story about an old and insular way of life in the midst of radical change. A good look into the lobstering industry and how it works and how it is changing. But its also a story of flesh and blood.

I can't really say too much about the story as I don't want to give away anything. You need to go in blind and let it capture you from the very get go. I want it to unfold for you the same way it did for me. Complex relationships, a shocking death at sea. Deep, rich characters with the sea in their blood. Revenge, forgiveness, healing. Holds you to the very end. And haunts you when your done.

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I made it maybe a 1/4 of the way through before deciding I couldn't do it.
Why not?
I live in New England. When I saw the blurb for this book about Maine fisherman, I thought, "How awesome to read a book about my Maine neighbors and their struggles and their experiences." I have some Maine friends and this book doesn't seem to be a reflection of them at all. This book felt hopeless. The characters are petty and fairly unlikeable--all of them. The language was terrible. And the author doesn't use quotation marks to signify spoken word. That bugs me to no end.
So--hopeless, frustrating to read, with nobody I liked (or even disliked enough to find out what happens to them).

[Absolom J. Hagg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt, one of the best books I've read this year. There's a touch of Cormac McCarthy in both the language and characters but I think that's more incidental than even homage. The people in this book demand a cold sparseness to reflect their cold, sparse lives and yet Keller injects plenty of heat and warmth into their dealings with each other.

As for the technical aspects of the book, it's clear it was written by someone who knows lobster fishing and lobstermen. The world he creates around these aspects feels authoritative. I would never out loud pretend to know fully the lives of lobster fishermen, but inside I now feel like a bit of an expert.

As you can tell, I highly recommend this book. The language is beautiful, the relationships are real and heartfelt, and the world is probably as close as you're going to get to setting lobster traps yourself.

Full disclosure: I went to grad school with Jon Keller. I don't know if this affects my feelings about the book other than to say it makes me feel lucky to have studied with him.

[Richard Modlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keller’s rendition of the life and culture of a group of lobstermen in his debut novel Of Sea and Cloud is about as accurate as one can have. He has captured the happiness, sadness, and turbulence of two competing families. His characters are real. Their speech is basic and their behavior raw. But these are men and women, whose lives are dictated by the movement of tides, currents and weather, and the vagaries of commercial fishing. The book is a page turner, full of twists and surprises. A great read for anyone interested in people who lead a basic existence and how they cope with the problems and outcomes that confront them. I have dealt with fishermen, and Keller’s account is real. I highly recommend Of Sea and Cloud.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book has jeopardized
my relationship with Red Lobster.

[David Keaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really really enjoy watching The Deadliest Catch. For years, I actually worked on the show (in a distant, detached, but not insignificant way), and I realized relatively quickly that despite some of the manufactured dramas, it was the last gasp of reality in reality television. So I picked up this book (about lobstermen, not crabbers) as a supplemental experience and was initially put off by the dreamy slo-mo descriptions, at least until I realized this is what I was *actually* craving, a way to get the increasingly melodramatic cast of Deadliest Catch to stop grandstanding with their fake rivalries and to slow it all down so I could spend hours with my eyes crawling over every aspect of those boats' cramped quarters. What I'm saying is there are pages in here where it takes three paragraphs for someone to make coffee, but I'm glad the author didn't seem to be drinking any himself. And I'm not going to be one of those readers that complains about the quote-free dialogue... okay maybe I am. But not for the same reasons. It didn't make it difficult for me to keep track of who was talking but it did make it hard for me to remember who anybody was? Or it could have been the doubling of some names; Jonah and Julius, Charlotte and Celeste, etc. Certainly a sort of Cormac McCarthy dense weightiness to it all (but as I said above, I liked all that), as well as an Old Testament-level villain that is as memorable as they come and often very sympathetic. In fact, the "villain's" family dynamic was the highlight, and the book lit up when they were on the page. But my favorite plot device was probably a skeleton (and parts of the skeleton) that kept turning up in unexpected ways, all the way to the end of the novel. I don't want you to think I'm talking about a Weekend At Bernie's or The Trouble With Harry situation here or something (but maybe a little bit). Actually I would have had that skull pop up about five more times, which is why, after doing the math, I can only in good conscience award this novel three and a half skulls, which I'm rounding up to four, because skulls are fucking round, but also they're not fucking around.

[Cj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a little bit to get used to the absence of quotation marks but once you get to know the characters it was not a problem, a dark story about a remote area of Maine where the Lobsters are fished or trapped. The authors first book, his background of reporting on the area and working on a lobster boat for a few years allows him to tell the story from living it out, I thought he did a great job putting me there in the elements of the Maine coast and bringing a great visual of the imposing Osmond Randolph and the other characters to life, dark as it was, it kept my interest in who would prevail in the end. I learned a few things about lobster fishing, looked up some words and terminology I did not understand, not a happy book but an interesting one.

If there ever was a movie made on this book I would like to see Daniel Day Lewis as Osmond Randolph.

[Pascale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m done with this book. I really didn’t care for the writing style. Also, numerous references throughout to boat parts and fishing gear made it difficult to follow (e.g. “He untied the skiff’s painter and pulled the skiff along as he walked the washrail around the wheelhouse and onto the bow.” Really???). It just ain’t my world.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read!

[Albert Norton · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star for interesting description of how lobstermen do their thing. Otherwise disappointing.

[L.C. Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Couldn't get past the idiosyncratic punctuation issues (no quotation marks, etc). Too distracting. Often difficult to know with certainty who is speaking.

[Robert Mund]

dark but interesting read.
Prefer a book with closure but well written and found yourself not wanting to put the book down.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend Jon Keller's gritty, gripping, violent and totally absorbing novel. A debut book where language is sparse, quotation marks not needed and characters so well written you think you would recognize them on the street. A love for regional writers and the lobster famous Maine coast made this a great choice for me .

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. For much of the time I was reading it I felt it might be a five star but, as happens often, the ending was not all it could have been. When I read the synopsis of this book, it being about lobstermen on the Maine coast I was very excited to read it. This subject matter has been tackled quite a few times, rarely does it ring true. I have seen a couple reviews on the site with folks claiming the book had no likable characters, that it was too dark and depressing, well that is often a fairly true depiction. Having grown up on the coast of Maine, having spent time on the ocean on a working lobster boat I can tell you that this book is a good representation of that life. Does everyone have the crisis that Bill and Jonah have? No, of course not, but working on the ocean is not for everyone. While profits can be high, the work is hard and it is just as hard no matter the profit margin for the product. As to getting up at four AM or earlier everyday of your life, well that takes a special characteristic that few of us have.

As to the specific story in the book. It is excellent and realistic. When Nicholas, the patriarch of the local fishing community and Father to Jonah and Bill dies in the first chapter of the book it sets off a chain of events which will change the life of most of the people in his small village. Throw in the Shakespearean nature of some of the storyline combined with the story of the prodigal son and there is much in this story to like. The authors voice is true and I, for one, felt like I was reading about people I know, or at least knew, years ago.

This is an excellent book, highly recommended.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro potente, molto ben scritto, con una ambientazione insolita - un villaggio di pescatori di aragoste - i cui protagonisti si trovano a fronteggiare un difficile passaggio tra una tradizione quasi tribale e la realtà della globalizzazione. Costellato da figure mitiche e talvolta mistiche, da segreti incofessabili, e da odi quasi primordiali, questo libro ha tutte le caratteristiche del vero noir, per l'attenta analisi sociologica che contiene e per l'impossibilità dei protagonisti di diventare diversi dalle maschere che si sono cuciti addosso. Solo uno di loro, il Capitano, accettando un amore travagliato, reca nella storia una debole luce di speranza.
Un grazie a Tyrus Books e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta.

A powerful book, very well written, with an unusual setting - a lobstersfishermen's village - which protagonists face a difficult transition from an almost tribal tradition and the realities of globalization. Dotted with mythical and sometimes mystical figures, by unmentionable secrets, and almost primordial hatreds, this book has all the characteristics of a true noir, for the careful sociological analysis that contains, and because of the inability of the characters to become different from the masks that have sewn to themselves. Only one of them, the Captain, accepting a troubled love, brings into the story a faint light of hope.
Thanks to Tyrus Books and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Avid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new world for me. The life of a lobsterman and the rugged environment where they live and work was a completely foreign concept. Jon Keller brought that world to existence for me. I was immediately pulled into their life and struggles.

The relationship between Bill and Jonah hasn’t been the same since their father was lost at sea. They fight and struggle like any other pair of brothers. They question many things about each other, including their relationships with their father and others. But once confronted with a common enemy, they band together like only siblings can.

This book was gripping and deep; descriptive in a world that felt grey. The story flowed well and the writing was tight. The characters were not just real they came off the pages. It perfectly demonstrates the strength of family in spite of internal issues. Bill and Jonah are strong characters and regardless of how formidable Osmond Raymond presents himself.

This is a fabulous story that I didn’t want to put down!

I give Of Sea and Cloud 4 solid stars and would pair it with a full Cabernet Sauvignon.

This book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those public library finds that was sold by the cover. Cover-out in the new release section, I spotted it, grabbed it and took it home. Who doesn't want to read about Maine lobstermen, right?

The story starts in chapter one with two long-time "friends" out on the ocean. One, the crusty Nicolas, father of Jonah and Bill, is a simple guy you earns his living by pulling the bugs out of the sea. The other, the creepy and darkly powerful Osmond, does the same but has bigger plans. Their chapter one meeting does not end well, and sets the entire novel in motion.

There is plenty of character development to chew on, along with a compelling story that will keep you turning the pages. The final 100 or so went by in a blur.

Other things you will find: Ice, boats (including the nautical terms for every piece of them), lobsters, "salty" language (how often to you hear someone say clamf---er?) and punctuation-free dialog. The last required some flexibility, and you might hate it, but it wasn't that bad.

I enjoyed "discovering" this new talent in fiction.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written, dark, atmospheric book that pulled me in from the first pages. It is about a dying industry, family relationships, and deciding what's important as people and circumstances change in life. Bill has to come to terms with becoming a father, Jonah has to come to terms with the loss of his father and the path forward both personally and professionally, and Osmond has come to terms with his grandson and the legacy he hopes to leave him. While the weather and the sea itself are constant characters in this book, I felt like these two families were people I knew, and was sad to leave their company at the end. Definitely a book to take your time with and savor. I look forward to more books by this author.

If you like stories like this about men coping with a tough industry and personal tragedies, I highly recommend South of the Big Four, about the relationship between a young man and an old man dealing with change in the farming industry.

[Julia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this one down and was literally gasping aloud (in public spaces) at this the plot twists and emotional tremors. A gritty, mesmerizing story about two brothers coping with the mysterious disappearance of their father and the legacy of the business he left behind. Jon Keller’s debut about family, betrayal, love, and lobster fishing in Coastal Maine left me wide-eyed. We’re given a sinister secret at the very beginning of this novel and watch as its darkness creeps into everyone in this tiny New England town, infecting relationships and turning best friends against each other. Keller masterfully rotates his narration through the perspective of each character, even the most emotionally damaged and despicable—the effect is completely engulfing. His craft and writing style is phenomenal: bare and hard-hitting.

[R.J. Heller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good debut novel about two worlds coming together in a place that can be a hard place to live and make a life....Maine. A "salt of the sea" lobsterman is rowing out to his boat in a fog bound harbor ..the tide is going out. In an instant, he is in the water drifting out with the tide...boots filling with water, and the cold, the bitter cold seeps in, and the warmth of life lets go. He is gone. Another fisherman, a friend, rows his skiff in. Was it an accident, was it murder? The language of this novel is the backbone, it is caked with salt and brine and gives the reader the essence of the land and its people. It's weakness is in the characters and sometimes the dialogue between them...but the industry of fishing, the essence of a place, and the hard and bitter toil of making a living makes this book what it is, and it is well done.

[Mary Ahlgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Sea and Cloud tells a story of relationships within a close knit community, especially between men. Fathers and sons, brothers, colleagues , competitors, are deeply drawn, and fraught with complexity. Beyond this theme is a political one addressing the changes international trade, global changes, and extreme wealth wreak on traditional ways of life. This book made me sad, but I loved it. I wish it had gone on a bit longer.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shows horrible aspects of lobstermen, which thankfully are not universal based on the many I know. Not saying the characters aren't true and don't exist as I know that they do, but it is focusing on a very ugly side to this life. Kind of wish I'd just thrown it aside as it left me feeling physically sick from ingesting such awful characters. This was an effective, tragic, and hard story as can be seen by my strong reaction, and I ended up not caring one jot about any of the characters.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love stories about the sea. This one kept my interest but I would have liked to get deeper into the characters because they were intriguing. Another reviewer mentioned that there's no punctuation to distinguish quotations; that was a bit annoying but I just took it as this writer's particular style and didn't let it distract me too much. Some of the fishing terminology was lost on me but I liked the atmosphere and, all things considered, enjoyed the book.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book on my Kindle and only read 4% - it wasn't very interesting. Also, the author didn't use quotation marks around the dialogue, so sometimes I was half way through a sentence before I realized it was dialogue - I read for pleasure, I'm not going to work that hard for a story - that may be why I didn't find it very interesting.

[Mary Licking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lobstering, boats, weather, violence, and sex are the backdrop for a story about how the global economy stresses individuals and families. What happens to the characters held my interest, and the skill of the writer moved me through the reading.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting writer with a good sense of the voice of the Maine coast, and a Melville like rhythm to his story. Powerful and as close to spending time in a coastal community as you could ask for.

[Jennifer Strabley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love this book, but I thought it was well written. It seems like it would be a good movie and there are a lot of brooding male characters who are trying (and failing) to grow up. But the book had a great sense of place and the characters were authentic in a mythological way.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book by this author. it's a fictional account of rival lobster fishermen in Maine, when one of the fishermen disappears. At first I liked it since I learn something about lobster fishing but there is too much violence as rivalries arise. For that reason I give it only two stars.