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Above Us the Sea
'Maybe when we looked away from it, it could only be for a fragmented moment. Maybe our gaze always returned, our eyes always finding the sea.' It's after a night in Cardiff's loudest gay bar that Toni first lays eyes on Gav, a retired Welsh boxer, and his boyfriend Karol, an aspiring Polish photographer. The trio soon falls into an intimate, ambiguous love triangle. After a tragic event at a beach in Swansea, the trio is ripped apart, and Toni escapes to London, becoming caught between a convenient, loveless relationship and an illicit, lustful affair. Lost halfway between the British future she has always wanted, and the Eastern European past she has been running from, Toni can only wonder where and with whom she really belongs. Above Us the Sea is an ode to the tangled remains of lost loves and the imprints left by grieving souls, yearning for connection. This is a story of aching and emerging, intimacy and distance, set against an increasingly hostile landscape.
368 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
July 31, 2024
I was waiting for a book that could shatter my heart big times since reading „Shark heart: a love story” and this is THE BOOK. The way i SOBBED for solid ten minutes and couldn’t breathe for a second>>>>
This is my book. This is the 2024 favourite. Those are the feelings i was looking for. It may nor be perfect but it is for me. I have nothing else to say
This is my book. This is the 2024 favourite. Those are the feelings i was looking for. It may nor be perfect but it is for me. I have nothing else to say
November 17, 2025
My girl was an absolute mess of Queer confusion and grief, just turning up to people's houses and upending their entire lives. I love her so much.
June 19, 2024
A haunting look at grief, friendships & coping mechanisms with such beautiful, thought-provoking pages.
Toni & Gav build one of those relationships that go deeper than friendship & they come into each others lives at a time where they’re effectively saving each other. Whilst at times it feels chaotic, they both bring an inner-peace & buckets of fun into each others lives when they need it most. It’s a dynamic that’s fascinating to read & a great creation by Ania.
I often empathised so heavily with Toni as she felt like such a lost soul and in need of care & stability. The losses she experiences during her life contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms & poor decisions but she remains very understandable & human.
Throughout the story are beautiful poetic descriptions that bring a captivating understanding to us as a reader & I have so much admiration for Ania’s work here. So often I re-read some of the descriptions & quotes because I was astonished at the brilliance.
The latter end of the story emotionally tore me, and the shared grief & mutual understanding override any differences two characters felt towards each other and showed the power of human decency when we can sit down, understand each other & chose to support & love one another.
A really deep & unique read.
Toni & Gav build one of those relationships that go deeper than friendship & they come into each others lives at a time where they’re effectively saving each other. Whilst at times it feels chaotic, they both bring an inner-peace & buckets of fun into each others lives when they need it most. It’s a dynamic that’s fascinating to read & a great creation by Ania.
I often empathised so heavily with Toni as she felt like such a lost soul and in need of care & stability. The losses she experiences during her life contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms & poor decisions but she remains very understandable & human.
Throughout the story are beautiful poetic descriptions that bring a captivating understanding to us as a reader & I have so much admiration for Ania’s work here. So often I re-read some of the descriptions & quotes because I was astonished at the brilliance.
The latter end of the story emotionally tore me, and the shared grief & mutual understanding override any differences two characters felt towards each other and showed the power of human decency when we can sit down, understand each other & chose to support & love one another.
A really deep & unique read.
September 8, 2024
I’m not sure if this is the case, but Above Us The Sea felt autobiographical. The characters were amazing in their realness and I could imagine them vividly. There is much sadness within this novel and the issues immigrants face are included, especially as the time period covers the Brexit vote.
I don’t think I can do justice to the writing but I really enjoyed this queer coming of age novel. A stunning debut, I look forward to seeing what this author does next.
A special shout out to the cover - it is one of the most stunning I think I have ever seen.
3.75 stars
I don’t think I can do justice to the writing but I really enjoyed this queer coming of age novel. A stunning debut, I look forward to seeing what this author does next.
A special shout out to the cover - it is one of the most stunning I think I have ever seen.
3.75 stars
January 23, 2025
there were a few things in the plot that didn’t quite add up but generally a gorgeous book with complex characters, and all set against the backdrop of a city that I love so much 🏴
September 21, 2024
No matter how much i wanted to enjoy this book, i never quite managed to get into it. It has all the qualities i should like, but there simply wasn't a spark. The last 5% were the only pages i really really felt like reading.
It feels rude to give this book such a low score, but eeh. It's a fairly mid book about friendship, grief, and love, and it's queer.
It feels rude to give this book such a low score, but eeh. It's a fairly mid book about friendship, grief, and love, and it's queer.
December 24, 2024
I'll hold this book closely to my heart. Set in Cardiff, (predominantly in Pulse nightclub where I spent many weekends), London, Warsaw. The narrative is thought-provoking, loving, and fluid, weaving a compelling plot that resonates deeply.
'You know, relationships are only fleeting and fragile spaces between the lines.'"
'You know, relationships are only fleeting and fragile spaces between the lines.'"
May 4, 2025
would i struggle to succinctly tell someone what this is about? yes. is it perfect in every way? also yes
July 10, 2024
This is a beautiful and captivating story - simple but so effective in such a haunting way. Covering love, grief and despair, this book has filled my heart and it’s one that will stay with me for a long time.
Toni, Gav and Karol are such brilliantly written characters- flawed, selfish and so real- the three of them drawn together in such an intense relationship.
Following a disaster, this friendship is broken and Toni’s story is a heart wrenching one of numbness and loss - the girl in the mirror a clever way to portray her feelings of detachment and abandonment.
Toni, Gav and Karol are such brilliantly written characters- flawed, selfish and so real- the three of them drawn together in such an intense relationship.
Following a disaster, this friendship is broken and Toni’s story is a heart wrenching one of numbness and loss - the girl in the mirror a clever way to portray her feelings of detachment and abandonment.
January 7, 2025
largely sobbed my way through this, a really gorgeous novel about finding peace in the midst of tragedy and grief
January 14, 2025
Someone told me once that we share a piece of everyone we choose in our lives, we connect with a deeper, unconscious part of ourselves in others
Page 287
Page 287
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2025
Really bloody good. At a time when I needed it, and am drawing a lot of parallels to people in my own life/situation. Really felt the way a sudden/tragic grief was written, with themes of belonging, losing yourself, trying to pick up the pieces and navigating friendship throughout all that. Had me balling in parts and wanting to call/cuddle all my mates after.
August 26, 2024
Two ghosts dressed in black 🖤
June 22, 2025
Devoured this (or it devoured me, I'm not sure). Art, grief, queerness, and the ways we pull through - from Cardiff, to Notting Hill to Warsaw. Finished in tears, and immediately went back to page 1 to relive it all again.
Some of the Welsh stuff was a teeny bit wonky (e.g. 'Lechyd' Da, valleys patterns of speech not quite there), and the syntax a bit strange in places.
But it actually worked, because the book is all narrated through the eyes of a Polish immigrant - reflecting the author herself - and the strangeness of language is one of the underlying themes.
Plus the Welsh valleys stuff was written with such warmth - the author calls it a 'love letter' to Wales so OFC I'm in, 100%.
The main character did kiss maybe one too many people - like there could have been more platonic energy going on. Her ex's mother seems to be one of the only ones who got away, though there was def something simmering.
But, IDC, I enjoyed it. I'm in the mood for big, chunky stories - to get deep in other people's worlds and relationships - and this delivered.
Some of the Welsh stuff was a teeny bit wonky (e.g. 'Lechyd' Da, valleys patterns of speech not quite there), and the syntax a bit strange in places.
But it actually worked, because the book is all narrated through the eyes of a Polish immigrant - reflecting the author herself - and the strangeness of language is one of the underlying themes.
Plus the Welsh valleys stuff was written with such warmth - the author calls it a 'love letter' to Wales so OFC I'm in, 100%.
The main character did kiss maybe one too many people - like there could have been more platonic energy going on. Her ex's mother seems to be one of the only ones who got away, though there was def something simmering.
But, IDC, I enjoyed it. I'm in the mood for big, chunky stories - to get deep in other people's worlds and relationships - and this delivered.
September 22, 2024
This book absolutely broke my heart but also gave me so much hope for the characters and ultimately there was so much about this story that ended up being so healing ❤️🩹
This was an incredibly in depth and beautiful look at grief, love friendship and finding ourselves (in both where we are in the world but also in other people). Our main character Toni has a friendship with Gav that is chaotic but truly one of the most incredible friendships I’ve had the pleasure of reading about, and as Toni’s relationship with Gav’s boyfriend Karol grows, I couldn’t help but fall in love with all three of them and all their flaws.
I loved reading about Toni’s struggle to find ‘home’ and how she places the lack of feeling settled in location (torn between Wales, London and Poland) into finding home in the people around her, even if it’s for a snapshot of her life. This book covered friendship, love, immigration and all connections in such a poetic and delicate way - this is one of my top reads of 2024 and no words will ever capture how gorgeous (and devastating!) this book is 💘
This was an incredibly in depth and beautiful look at grief, love friendship and finding ourselves (in both where we are in the world but also in other people). Our main character Toni has a friendship with Gav that is chaotic but truly one of the most incredible friendships I’ve had the pleasure of reading about, and as Toni’s relationship with Gav’s boyfriend Karol grows, I couldn’t help but fall in love with all three of them and all their flaws.
I loved reading about Toni’s struggle to find ‘home’ and how she places the lack of feeling settled in location (torn between Wales, London and Poland) into finding home in the people around her, even if it’s for a snapshot of her life. This book covered friendship, love, immigration and all connections in such a poetic and delicate way - this is one of my top reads of 2024 and no words will ever capture how gorgeous (and devastating!) this book is 💘
October 7, 2024
“We walked on into my London unknown and his London erased, equipped with a small bottle of vodka between us, coating our bodies as our hearts beat faster to the music long forgotten and long not discussed.”
Wow. This was so emotional and so beautifully written. I’ve said this a few times already this year but I think this is actually my favourite book from 2024.
Wow. This was so emotional and so beautifully written. I’ve said this a few times already this year but I think this is actually my favourite book from 2024.
May 7, 2025
I don't know what to SAY! That felt incredibly realistic. The dialogue, the decisions, the actions all seemed to fit and make complete sense.
Can't believe that's a debut novel - what a career Ania is going to have with that talent :')
Can't believe that's a debut novel - what a career Ania is going to have with that talent :')
September 13, 2024
I loved this book so much.
December 6, 2024
Above Us the Sea is solid proof that blind-buying a book based on the cover and the publisher absolutely works. What a phenomenal and outstanding DEBUT(!)
I went into this with no expectations, and ended with tears in my eyes. A very touching story about belonging, friendship, community, loss and love. Heart-wrenching and beautiful and it’s mind blowing this is Ania Card’s first novel. I’d struggle to find anything to critique the book on, but if I had to be mean I think the pacing could be worked on. If you love emotional books and morally grey protagonists this is a must-read. 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Rounded down
I went into this with no expectations, and ended with tears in my eyes. A very touching story about belonging, friendship, community, loss and love. Heart-wrenching and beautiful and it’s mind blowing this is Ania Card’s first novel. I’d struggle to find anything to critique the book on, but if I had to be mean I think the pacing could be worked on. If you love emotional books and morally grey protagonists this is a must-read. 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Rounded down
March 3, 2025
3.5 stars
great writing but the plot was confusing
great writing but the plot was confusing
May 23, 2025
so well written, missing it already. such love, loss, grief and every word feels carefully and beautifully chosen
September 24, 2024
3.5 stars
August 7, 2025
3 word review - literary, beautiful, reflective
The characters in this book were so well written and the writing felt almost poetic and so thoughtfully written. It was a little bit slow in areas but at the same time was nice not feeling as though there was just random crap being shoved into every sentence and page. Which is perhaps why it felt more literary. The themes and what the author was getting at throughout were clear to me and I enjoyed and felt proud of myself to a degree for feeling like I was understanding them haha or at least understanding them in a way that made sense to me.
It was emotional and sad which I always love from a book and touched on deep sentiment throughout. I found it quite cathartic to read.
The characters in this book were so well written and the writing felt almost poetic and so thoughtfully written. It was a little bit slow in areas but at the same time was nice not feeling as though there was just random crap being shoved into every sentence and page. Which is perhaps why it felt more literary. The themes and what the author was getting at throughout were clear to me and I enjoyed and felt proud of myself to a degree for feeling like I was understanding them haha or at least understanding them in a way that made sense to me.
It was emotional and sad which I always love from a book and touched on deep sentiment throughout. I found it quite cathartic to read.
September 5, 2024
3.5 stars
I very much enjoyed the first quarter of the book, set in Wales. Then, it sort of goes off a cliff. Frank and Apollo were absolutely irrelevant characters and their storylines, especially Frank's, were dragged on, and on, and on. And on. Storylines that were meant to be a distraction from grief became almost half of the book itself?! How and why? This book also gets very repetitive and in your face with its metaphors and motives (sea, ice bath, girl in the mirror, and so on) to the point that the punch that some scenes should pack is lost due to how many times we've already been told about the same parallels and events. I found myself thinking multiple times: we get it! Can we move onto a different metaphor? Or theme?
We should have spent much much more time with Karol, the most interesting character (and relationship dynamic) in the book. Instead, we only get back to him in the final, short section. This book would have benefitted from a better editor (how many times can an author use the verb "saunter"?) and from not trying so hard to be Sally Rooney-esque. The initial "triangle" was interesting enough and we should have spent more time with that and with the aftermath of those events, instead of the Oedipus/Electra complex nightmare that the middle section was.
I also found it very unrealistic that not once the book mentions the clear sexual tension and attraction that Toni feels for Karol. It's never clear whether he feels it too or not, and as the book neared its end I felt like avoiding that topic made the characters' claim that they knew everything about each other ring false.
All in all, an interesting read but not as impressing as I had hoped.
I very much enjoyed the first quarter of the book, set in Wales. Then, it sort of goes off a cliff. Frank and Apollo were absolutely irrelevant characters and their storylines, especially Frank's, were dragged on, and on, and on. And on. Storylines that were meant to be a distraction from grief became almost half of the book itself?! How and why? This book also gets very repetitive and in your face with its metaphors and motives (sea, ice bath, girl in the mirror, and so on) to the point that the punch that some scenes should pack is lost due to how many times we've already been told about the same parallels and events. I found myself thinking multiple times: we get it! Can we move onto a different metaphor? Or theme?
We should have spent much much more time with Karol, the most interesting character (and relationship dynamic) in the book. Instead, we only get back to him in the final, short section. This book would have benefitted from a better editor (how many times can an author use the verb "saunter"?) and from not trying so hard to be Sally Rooney-esque. The initial "triangle" was interesting enough and we should have spent more time with that and with the aftermath of those events, instead of the Oedipus/Electra complex nightmare that the middle section was.
I also found it very unrealistic that not once the book mentions the clear sexual tension and attraction that Toni feels for Karol. It's never clear whether he feels it too or not, and as the book neared its end I felt like avoiding that topic made the characters' claim that they knew everything about each other ring false.
All in all, an interesting read but not as impressing as I had hoped.
August 16, 2025
OVERALL RATING: 9/10 -> 5 stars on GR.
Characters: 8
The trio (especially the two, iykyk) is among the strongest leads I’ve read: they are such complex individuals with their own unique sets of qualities, problems, and fooleries. The other characters, therefore, feel quite bland in juxtaposition to them, which also doesn’t help in how all of them play a single monotonous tone during their short appearances.
Setting/Theme: 8
The tidal waves of grieving are explored so fascinately and profoundly that, similar to my opinion of the characters, it makes the decent exploration of other themes, such as romantic desire or immigrant dislocated identities, seem deficient in comparison.
Writing Style: 9
Most of the literary imagery is easy to grasp and strikes deep to the core. My only gripe is that the breadcrumbs could have been hinted at more subtly.
Plot: 10
The pace is a little slow at times, but I could easily bypass that minor flaw because of how cohesive and complete the story is.
Logic: 10
No notes.
Intrigue/Enjoyment: 9
The book isn’t the most captivating while reading, but the full-circle ending offers the lingering satisfaction long after the final page.
Characters: 8
The trio (especially the two, iykyk) is among the strongest leads I’ve read: they are such complex individuals with their own unique sets of qualities, problems, and fooleries. The other characters, therefore, feel quite bland in juxtaposition to them, which also doesn’t help in how all of them play a single monotonous tone during their short appearances.
Setting/Theme: 8
The tidal waves of grieving are explored so fascinately and profoundly that, similar to my opinion of the characters, it makes the decent exploration of other themes, such as romantic desire or immigrant dislocated identities, seem deficient in comparison.
Writing Style: 9
Most of the literary imagery is easy to grasp and strikes deep to the core. My only gripe is that the breadcrumbs could have been hinted at more subtly.
Plot: 10
The pace is a little slow at times, but I could easily bypass that minor flaw because of how cohesive and complete the story is.
Logic: 10
No notes.
Intrigue/Enjoyment: 9
The book isn’t the most captivating while reading, but the full-circle ending offers the lingering satisfaction long after the final page.
November 19, 2024
My favourite book of the year so far. I have recommended it to so many of my friends.
I got this book as part of a book subscription from Kemptown Bookshop and what a surprise it was. Instantly from reading the blurb and seeing the cover, I could tell this is one of the books I wouldn’t be able to put down.
The story was so brilliant, the way it is written is impeccable, and it was a journey. I don’t think I have ever audibly gasped at book, but there were two moments in particular in this book where I did just that.
I loved so many of the characters, even if frustrated by their actions sometimes. Karol, Toni, Gav all felt alive, their characters peeled from real life and placed on the pages of this book. I’m not usually a reader who is able to picture a book as I’m reading it, but I was able to picture the characters, their actions, their feelings as I read through this book.
All in all, this book was great and I can’t recommend it enough.
I got this book as part of a book subscription from Kemptown Bookshop and what a surprise it was. Instantly from reading the blurb and seeing the cover, I could tell this is one of the books I wouldn’t be able to put down.
The story was so brilliant, the way it is written is impeccable, and it was a journey. I don’t think I have ever audibly gasped at book, but there were two moments in particular in this book where I did just that.
I loved so many of the characters, even if frustrated by their actions sometimes. Karol, Toni, Gav all felt alive, their characters peeled from real life and placed on the pages of this book. I’m not usually a reader who is able to picture a book as I’m reading it, but I was able to picture the characters, their actions, their feelings as I read through this book.
All in all, this book was great and I can’t recommend it enough.
July 12, 2025
Sadly I found the writing style unnecessarily (and unbearably) flowery and clumsy. Coupled with a main character who doesn’t seem to have any feelings or opinions of her own this was a real slog. The story is okay but certainly not good enough to make up for the clunky and frankly annoying prose.
May 16, 2025
The start of this book was outstanding, the ending was beautiful. The middle??? why was it a million years long. Gav is the best and most interesting character in this universe, and he gets no space to breathe before his presence in the narrative abruptly ends - I could have read three hundred more pages of Toni, Gav and Karol co-existing in Wales n this would have been a five star review. Still, much potential. I'll read whatever Ania Card puts out in the future.
July 21, 2024
Do you ever feel like a book was just written for you? What an incredible debut novel - these characters jumped off the page and made me want to hold them in my arms, flaws and all. This beautifully written story explores themes of identity, love, grief and most importantly friendship - the relationship between Karol & Toni was so beautiful and nuanced throughout the book. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
December 29, 2024
excerpt […] so far away from anything I knew and anything I was a part of, so far away from the safety and familiarity of Cardiff, where people were just travelling through, becoming, taking a break, looking around at options. everyone [here] had formed a long time ago and becoming wasn't in anyone's interest, belonging was where everyone was here, with everyone that mattered sharing the same space. I wondered what it felt like, not needing to look for home.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews