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Seahorse: A Novel
High on a cliff overlooking this remote fishing village stands the institute. Some of the villagers fear that its head, Dr. Daniels, is interfering with the nightly journey of their souls to the deserted island a mile off shore. At first the narrator, a visitor staying at the hotel, scoffs. But as his stay endures, he too, is involved in experiences he cannot explain. Even the villagers' cardgame, Seahorse, a game whose rules he cannot master, seems to presage future events, and yet, how can it?
The reason for the narrator's presence in the village is itself a mystery as he struggles to make sense of the world from the clues available, an unwilling participant in the life of a primitive and sinister community.
The reason for the narrator's presence in the village is itself a mystery as he struggles to make sense of the world from the clues available, an unwilling participant in the life of a primitive and sinister community.
- GenresFiction
169 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 26, 2010
This book is really strange. It gets full marks for setting up a suspenseful, creepy atmosphere, full of inexplicable portents and surreal, mysterious events. But it's ultimately unsatisfying, leaving everything unresolved. It feels incomplete.
September 11, 2016
I don't have that much to say about this one, except it was surreal and dream like. I liked it!
February 11, 2017
A mystical journey through the psyche with deft use of language.
August 19, 2021
Our nebulous narrator stumbles through a fever dream of... what? An anthropological study of a mysterious settlement? A really atypical place to kick back for a vacation, but what the hell, everywhere else is booked this year? Who knows. This would make a good short story but would be stretched taut even at novella-length. A quote from the midway point sums it up pretty well:
"...attractive and intriguing enough and occasionally even seeming on the point of suggesting an association or meaning of some kind that, with the constant realignment caused by the tremors and puffs of wind all around, was almost immediately distorted and lost."
I couldn't bother trying to find it. The atmosphere is dense and the dream-logic plot works well enough, but as a whole it wore out its welcome quickly and insisted on spending the afternoon.
"...attractive and intriguing enough and occasionally even seeming on the point of suggesting an association or meaning of some kind that, with the constant realignment caused by the tremors and puffs of wind all around, was almost immediately distorted and lost."
I couldn't bother trying to find it. The atmosphere is dense and the dream-logic plot works well enough, but as a whole it wore out its welcome quickly and insisted on spending the afternoon.
May 11, 2026
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK
I chose this book because the cover intrigued me and I wanted to break up my streak of reading Dexter. Upon further inspection, the back cover also promised an interesting story that would provide some food for thought. While I found Seahorse fascinating, it definitely demanded more concentration than what I would deem worthy.
SUMMARY
Seahorse is narrated by a nameless researcher who is often called varying versions of “Mr. Overage”. He travelled to a mysterious island to uncover information about its inhabitants and eventually write a book on his discoveries. One of the first things discovered in the village is that they have computers and other staples of technology yet they refuse to use them. There is also an institute atop the hill by the coast. Rumors amongst the village spread that an enigmatic Dr. Daniels is driving away dreams from villagers.
Once established in a crumby hotel where he is the only visitor, he meets the Landlord and his wife. The Landlord is an unimpressive man while his wife is instantly interested in the narrator's presence. He explores around the village and witnesses the construction of an intricate netting system. One of the villagers, Ellicott, guides him in explaining the significance of the net and its purpose. The villagers believe heavily on the importance of the journey of the souls and nightmares, and the nets act as a path for the souls to follow. The narrator gets tangled in the maze of netting and insists that Ellicott helps him, but he is told he must wait until morning.
After eventually being rescued, he returns to his room where he is greeted by the Landlord’s wife. Sharing the same thought they get into bed and share an intimate moment before the Landlord walks in. He is furious, but not at the fact that his wife is in bed with another man, rather at the fact that the mirror, once covered with a cloth, was exposed. After his wife was tasked with replacing the cloth, he invites the narrator to a game of seahorse. Seahorse is the local card game on the island; everchanging and impossible to learn. Its cards feature photo-like pictures of places in the village, each card with its own importance. He recognises a card of the statue at the center of the village and another villager, also named Ellicott, tells him it is called “Wolf Hunt”. Afterwards, he struggles to play and eventually retreats for the night.
The next morning he explores the village, walking by a group of villagers performing manual labor and recognises his watch that he lost after the net incident. He inquires on the watch but ultimately returns it in fear of being robbed. Yet another villager named Ellicott questions him and explains the village custom that thieves can work three days of manual labor and if they are not asked to return their stolen item they can keep it and gain freedom. It is at this point that the narrator begins prying on the familiar name. Ellicott explains that everyone in the village is either named Ellicott, Hanslett, or Lincott, which makes distinguishing between villagers very difficult. Ellicott insists that he helps him fish for the night, another village custom, and they discuss memories of them schooling together in India.
After more exploration and testing the limits with the Landlord's wife, the narrator stumbles across another woman. She introduces herself as Miss Maison, although her name abruptly switches to Maria halfway through the book. She explains that she is from the institute and wants him to leave soon. In an attempt to pressure him out of the village, she showers in his room, causing the leaky pipes to attract the unwanted attention of the Landlord. He stops her shower and she is left naked, trying to cover herself as the Landlord stands over her. This scene is important as later when the narrator is walking through the village he sees the familiar scene again. In an old locked up shop he sees an aged photograph of that exact ordeal, Miss Maison and all. He demands to know who owns the shop but locals claim the owner has been dead for a year. This is only the beginning of the strange discoveries uncovered.
As he was walking up to the institute, he saw a new face carving a statue by the gate. The man presented himself as Davers and expounded that he was making a statue similar to the one in the village center. The narrator was confused by this and asked where the wolves were. To his surprise, Davers doesn’t understand him and explains that the statue is of St Sebastian. Later, the narrator is forced into another game of seahorse where he recognises the statue card but the name is replaced with St Sebastian.
That night he had a nightmare, and decided to go back to the institute at midnight. There, he leaned over the cliff and watched as a boat sailed by. He identified Miss Maison, Davers, and Dr. Daniels but drew a blank when trying to remember the fourth passenger. While he was observing them, the unfinished statue came crashing down into the water. He quickly fled back to the hotel, where he clambered into bed. When he awoke, Miss Maison was in his room awaiting him. She explained that someone had destroyed the statue and he would have to rebuild it. His attempts to get out of the work were futile as he walked back up the hill. While carving into the shapeless mass, he was introduced to the unknown fourth passenger. Her name was Martina and she was supposedly engaged to Davers.
That night he played seahorse as usual. He was shuffling through his cards when he saw the newest addition to the set. There, clearly captured in the photographic card was his face peering over the cliff by the institute gate. Confusion and uncertainty blurred his brain but he continued to play, until he got to an obscene photo showing two people in a bed with their faces blurred. The landlord picked what cards he played and he won an unsatisfying victory, befriending a new villager, Hanslett.
That night he has another nightmare seeing a vision of a man named Amin, who survived being stabbed and continued to write. The dream only came to importance when they were playing seahorse and discussion of this man arose. The narrator bravely stated that it was Amin, but the villagers disproved. Hanslett stated that it must have been Joseph Stalin, and that seemed to win the crowd’s approval. A similar nightmare occurred when the narrator dreamed he had to throw a pleading rat into a fire and then the card “Burning Rat” entered the deck of cards used in seahorse. These unexplainable phenomena only proved to drive the narrator more and more insane.
Nearing the narrator’s departure from the island, the final piece of research was conducted. Miss Maison took him to the village center by the statue and fountain where the village kids were gathered. She explained that this was a ritual-esque preparation for a tradition to help guide the souls. They watched as parents encouraged their children to try and walk on water. Miraculously, some did! That night, when receiving a meal from the Landlord’s wife he noticed the plate had a unique design. From his knowledge of the village, the grotto, a forbidden cave as well as a reoccurring card in seahorse, was somehow familiar yet cryptic to him. Uncovering the plate, he realized it was a seahorse, and prodded whether the symbol could be found in the grotto. She became uncharacteristically mad, and would no longer join him to bed. Even worse, she didn’t answer the question.
The next day, the narrator was tasked with finishing the statue. Before that, however, Martina played seahorse with him before accompanying him on a swim by the beach. During the game, the erotic card was reintroduced to the deck without the blurred faces. She laughed as she very clearly recognized the narrator with the Landlord’s wife. At the beach, she drew the seahorse pattern in the sand, captivating his attention. He questioned her on what she knew of the grotto. Unfortunately, she had limited information, but drew his focus to a tower in the distance. The tower was even more verboten than the grotto. Although it piqued his curiosity, his inspiration for the statue returned and he decided to create a seahorse.
After the members of the institute saw his new vision for the statue, they treated him differently, bullying him and treating him much worse than before. Ellicott, the one who had taken him fishing, tells a story recalling the narrator killing a centipede at school. The narrator remembers the story but is sure he wasn't the perpetrator of the centipede's death. Unable to continue working with such disapproval, he returns to his room. In an act to see what has become of his face after his time in the village, he removes the cloth from the mirror. To his horror, his reflection is missing completely. The erasure makes him panic, but he recovers the mirror, concealing his regretted revelation.
Back at the center of the village, the chosen children prepare to begin their walk. Boats are sent out and the narrator watches as they expertly tread on the surface of the water. As night closes in, the last girl starts. Villagers look in fear as the night is almost spent, terrified she wouldn’t make it. When all hope seems lost, she begins to fly, hovering above the water triumphantly returning before the night is complete. The village cheers and roars in her talent as the narrator can’t believe his eyes.
That night, the narrator returns to the hotel in search of a way to get home. He sees the Landlord sitting away from him, but as he gets closer he sees a knife lodged in the Landlord’s back. Then, the Landlord’s wife comes down the stairs, happily awaiting his arrival. She elucidates that she took care of the distractions and now they could live together forever. The narrator tries to escape but he cannot. Now, they live together on the island, playing seahorse, and anticipating Dr. Daniels’ return.
WHAT WORKS
I really liked the detail in this book. Overall, the imagery and sensory language throughout the book painted a very clear picture in my head. While rich in style and descriptions the pacing of Seahorse also felt adequate. Reading this after Dexter, or really any other plot heavy book feels refreshing. Nothing in this book felt rushed or overlooked, except for the first two pages, and the story moved at a consistent pace. Even the ending, although not enjoyable, fit in with the pace of the book.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
While I really wanted to like this book, there were a few things I could not ignore. To start, Seahorse did not have any chapters or noticeable space between sections. Even though it was a short book, it felt a lot longer because of this flaw. The only logical explanation I can devise is that this was a stylistic choice to relate to the narrator's utter confusion and spiral into madness; otherwise, I can’t see why the author would make this book such a gruelling read. To add to the misery that was understanding this book, it was absurdly confusing. If having everyone named the same three things wasn’t enough, the first two pages don’t even relate to the story. It begins by discussing Dr. Daniels, then an attack on the institute, followed by the existence of werewolves and vampires. While there were some teases of a possible werewolf subplot, it did not lead anywhere, not to mention the total lack of vampires. The book was confusing enough without adding in fake plot additions. As well as confusion, mistypes also plagued the story. Some mistypes I could understand as they were in dialogue and could be a representation of a character's unintelligence. That being said, some mistypes and mistakes were within the establishment of the setting, which I found to be quite distracting. The final thing I did not like about this book was the ending. All of the narrator’s discoveries and experiences in the village for what? The plot didn’t go anywhere and nothing was accomplished. It was a sullen ending to a dreary book. I was especially disappointed in this when there was so much room to expand and find out more information about the island, revealing the final secrets of the grotto and the tower and how they came to be. But no. No questions were answered and no secrets were shared. The worst part was that I was so upset I stopped caring. Whatever happens to the narrator happens and clearly there's nothing I can do about it.
All in all, it wasn’t that bad. I still found enjoyable parts of the book, and I really did enjoy his writing in creating the mysteries of the island. I just wish the mysteries didn’t have to remain untold.
I chose this book because the cover intrigued me and I wanted to break up my streak of reading Dexter. Upon further inspection, the back cover also promised an interesting story that would provide some food for thought. While I found Seahorse fascinating, it definitely demanded more concentration than what I would deem worthy.
SUMMARY
Seahorse is narrated by a nameless researcher who is often called varying versions of “Mr. Overage”. He travelled to a mysterious island to uncover information about its inhabitants and eventually write a book on his discoveries. One of the first things discovered in the village is that they have computers and other staples of technology yet they refuse to use them. There is also an institute atop the hill by the coast. Rumors amongst the village spread that an enigmatic Dr. Daniels is driving away dreams from villagers.
Once established in a crumby hotel where he is the only visitor, he meets the Landlord and his wife. The Landlord is an unimpressive man while his wife is instantly interested in the narrator's presence. He explores around the village and witnesses the construction of an intricate netting system. One of the villagers, Ellicott, guides him in explaining the significance of the net and its purpose. The villagers believe heavily on the importance of the journey of the souls and nightmares, and the nets act as a path for the souls to follow. The narrator gets tangled in the maze of netting and insists that Ellicott helps him, but he is told he must wait until morning.
After eventually being rescued, he returns to his room where he is greeted by the Landlord’s wife. Sharing the same thought they get into bed and share an intimate moment before the Landlord walks in. He is furious, but not at the fact that his wife is in bed with another man, rather at the fact that the mirror, once covered with a cloth, was exposed. After his wife was tasked with replacing the cloth, he invites the narrator to a game of seahorse. Seahorse is the local card game on the island; everchanging and impossible to learn. Its cards feature photo-like pictures of places in the village, each card with its own importance. He recognises a card of the statue at the center of the village and another villager, also named Ellicott, tells him it is called “Wolf Hunt”. Afterwards, he struggles to play and eventually retreats for the night.
The next morning he explores the village, walking by a group of villagers performing manual labor and recognises his watch that he lost after the net incident. He inquires on the watch but ultimately returns it in fear of being robbed. Yet another villager named Ellicott questions him and explains the village custom that thieves can work three days of manual labor and if they are not asked to return their stolen item they can keep it and gain freedom. It is at this point that the narrator begins prying on the familiar name. Ellicott explains that everyone in the village is either named Ellicott, Hanslett, or Lincott, which makes distinguishing between villagers very difficult. Ellicott insists that he helps him fish for the night, another village custom, and they discuss memories of them schooling together in India.
After more exploration and testing the limits with the Landlord's wife, the narrator stumbles across another woman. She introduces herself as Miss Maison, although her name abruptly switches to Maria halfway through the book. She explains that she is from the institute and wants him to leave soon. In an attempt to pressure him out of the village, she showers in his room, causing the leaky pipes to attract the unwanted attention of the Landlord. He stops her shower and she is left naked, trying to cover herself as the Landlord stands over her. This scene is important as later when the narrator is walking through the village he sees the familiar scene again. In an old locked up shop he sees an aged photograph of that exact ordeal, Miss Maison and all. He demands to know who owns the shop but locals claim the owner has been dead for a year. This is only the beginning of the strange discoveries uncovered.
As he was walking up to the institute, he saw a new face carving a statue by the gate. The man presented himself as Davers and expounded that he was making a statue similar to the one in the village center. The narrator was confused by this and asked where the wolves were. To his surprise, Davers doesn’t understand him and explains that the statue is of St Sebastian. Later, the narrator is forced into another game of seahorse where he recognises the statue card but the name is replaced with St Sebastian.
That night he had a nightmare, and decided to go back to the institute at midnight. There, he leaned over the cliff and watched as a boat sailed by. He identified Miss Maison, Davers, and Dr. Daniels but drew a blank when trying to remember the fourth passenger. While he was observing them, the unfinished statue came crashing down into the water. He quickly fled back to the hotel, where he clambered into bed. When he awoke, Miss Maison was in his room awaiting him. She explained that someone had destroyed the statue and he would have to rebuild it. His attempts to get out of the work were futile as he walked back up the hill. While carving into the shapeless mass, he was introduced to the unknown fourth passenger. Her name was Martina and she was supposedly engaged to Davers.
That night he played seahorse as usual. He was shuffling through his cards when he saw the newest addition to the set. There, clearly captured in the photographic card was his face peering over the cliff by the institute gate. Confusion and uncertainty blurred his brain but he continued to play, until he got to an obscene photo showing two people in a bed with their faces blurred. The landlord picked what cards he played and he won an unsatisfying victory, befriending a new villager, Hanslett.
That night he has another nightmare seeing a vision of a man named Amin, who survived being stabbed and continued to write. The dream only came to importance when they were playing seahorse and discussion of this man arose. The narrator bravely stated that it was Amin, but the villagers disproved. Hanslett stated that it must have been Joseph Stalin, and that seemed to win the crowd’s approval. A similar nightmare occurred when the narrator dreamed he had to throw a pleading rat into a fire and then the card “Burning Rat” entered the deck of cards used in seahorse. These unexplainable phenomena only proved to drive the narrator more and more insane.
Nearing the narrator’s departure from the island, the final piece of research was conducted. Miss Maison took him to the village center by the statue and fountain where the village kids were gathered. She explained that this was a ritual-esque preparation for a tradition to help guide the souls. They watched as parents encouraged their children to try and walk on water. Miraculously, some did! That night, when receiving a meal from the Landlord’s wife he noticed the plate had a unique design. From his knowledge of the village, the grotto, a forbidden cave as well as a reoccurring card in seahorse, was somehow familiar yet cryptic to him. Uncovering the plate, he realized it was a seahorse, and prodded whether the symbol could be found in the grotto. She became uncharacteristically mad, and would no longer join him to bed. Even worse, she didn’t answer the question.
The next day, the narrator was tasked with finishing the statue. Before that, however, Martina played seahorse with him before accompanying him on a swim by the beach. During the game, the erotic card was reintroduced to the deck without the blurred faces. She laughed as she very clearly recognized the narrator with the Landlord’s wife. At the beach, she drew the seahorse pattern in the sand, captivating his attention. He questioned her on what she knew of the grotto. Unfortunately, she had limited information, but drew his focus to a tower in the distance. The tower was even more verboten than the grotto. Although it piqued his curiosity, his inspiration for the statue returned and he decided to create a seahorse.
After the members of the institute saw his new vision for the statue, they treated him differently, bullying him and treating him much worse than before. Ellicott, the one who had taken him fishing, tells a story recalling the narrator killing a centipede at school. The narrator remembers the story but is sure he wasn't the perpetrator of the centipede's death. Unable to continue working with such disapproval, he returns to his room. In an act to see what has become of his face after his time in the village, he removes the cloth from the mirror. To his horror, his reflection is missing completely. The erasure makes him panic, but he recovers the mirror, concealing his regretted revelation.
Back at the center of the village, the chosen children prepare to begin their walk. Boats are sent out and the narrator watches as they expertly tread on the surface of the water. As night closes in, the last girl starts. Villagers look in fear as the night is almost spent, terrified she wouldn’t make it. When all hope seems lost, she begins to fly, hovering above the water triumphantly returning before the night is complete. The village cheers and roars in her talent as the narrator can’t believe his eyes.
That night, the narrator returns to the hotel in search of a way to get home. He sees the Landlord sitting away from him, but as he gets closer he sees a knife lodged in the Landlord’s back. Then, the Landlord’s wife comes down the stairs, happily awaiting his arrival. She elucidates that she took care of the distractions and now they could live together forever. The narrator tries to escape but he cannot. Now, they live together on the island, playing seahorse, and anticipating Dr. Daniels’ return.
WHAT WORKS
I really liked the detail in this book. Overall, the imagery and sensory language throughout the book painted a very clear picture in my head. While rich in style and descriptions the pacing of Seahorse also felt adequate. Reading this after Dexter, or really any other plot heavy book feels refreshing. Nothing in this book felt rushed or overlooked, except for the first two pages, and the story moved at a consistent pace. Even the ending, although not enjoyable, fit in with the pace of the book.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
While I really wanted to like this book, there were a few things I could not ignore. To start, Seahorse did not have any chapters or noticeable space between sections. Even though it was a short book, it felt a lot longer because of this flaw. The only logical explanation I can devise is that this was a stylistic choice to relate to the narrator's utter confusion and spiral into madness; otherwise, I can’t see why the author would make this book such a gruelling read. To add to the misery that was understanding this book, it was absurdly confusing. If having everyone named the same three things wasn’t enough, the first two pages don’t even relate to the story. It begins by discussing Dr. Daniels, then an attack on the institute, followed by the existence of werewolves and vampires. While there were some teases of a possible werewolf subplot, it did not lead anywhere, not to mention the total lack of vampires. The book was confusing enough without adding in fake plot additions. As well as confusion, mistypes also plagued the story. Some mistypes I could understand as they were in dialogue and could be a representation of a character's unintelligence. That being said, some mistypes and mistakes were within the establishment of the setting, which I found to be quite distracting. The final thing I did not like about this book was the ending. All of the narrator’s discoveries and experiences in the village for what? The plot didn’t go anywhere and nothing was accomplished. It was a sullen ending to a dreary book. I was especially disappointed in this when there was so much room to expand and find out more information about the island, revealing the final secrets of the grotto and the tower and how they came to be. But no. No questions were answered and no secrets were shared. The worst part was that I was so upset I stopped caring. Whatever happens to the narrator happens and clearly there's nothing I can do about it.
All in all, it wasn’t that bad. I still found enjoyable parts of the book, and I really did enjoy his writing in creating the mysteries of the island. I just wish the mysteries didn’t have to remain untold.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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