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To The Sea
The stunning saga from debut author Christine Dibley"A call to the sea passed on from mother to daughter ... lyrical, evocative and deeply engrossing." Australian Arts ReviewA dangerous yearning echoes through generations.On a clear summer's day, Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call-out to an idyllic Tasmanian beach house. Surrounded by family and calm waters, seventeen-year-old Zoe Kennett has inexplicably vanished.Four storytellers share their version of what has led to this moment, weaving tales which span centuries and continents. But Tony needs facts, not how will such fables lead him to Zoe and to the truth?As Tony's investigation deepens, he is drawn into a world where myth and history blur, and where women who risk all for love must pay the price through every generation.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2016
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259 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 7, 2017
I am constantly impressed with the new Aussie authors that are emerging! What a bunch of talent we have here!
This book was delightful! What captured me the instant I saw it, is the beautiful cover. It really captures the essence of the story. I quickly became engrossed in the beautiful saga of this family, and its interesting and perhaps magical history.
A teenager named Zoe has been reported missing, most likely drowned off the coast of Tasmania. Tony is the lead investigator in her disappearance and realises right from the start that there is something strange about the family that lives in the beautiful house by the sea. While investigating Zoe's life, Tony is swept into the stories of the history of the family, from hundreds of years ago, up until now. And some of it is a bit beyond belief. Will he be able to find Zoe? Is she really dead, or is there something extraordinary happening?
The story is told from four perspectives. Tony, the investigator carries the weight of the plot in his search for the missing girl. Zoe's aunt Sadie and her parents John and Eva have the remaining narratives, and fill in the story with important history, leading certain things to come together, and others that create even more mystery.
The writing of this novel is absolutely beautiful. It didn't take me long at all to get engrossed in the story and just when I was getting into a nice groove, the tales within the story BLEW ME AWAY. I was utterly captivated by the stories of love, loss, betrayal and sacrifice. And the romance! There were a few romances weaved into the story and they were all sweet, one especially. However, with so many back stories I sometimes became confused with who was who and where I was in the story. I think this is my issue more than the writing though, I am a very fast reader, and I have baby brain! I'm not surprised I got a bit lost - I am surprised I can remember my name most days at the moment!
My only other criticism was the ending. It just didn't do it for me. It was good, and I got it, I really did! But personally I didn't find it ultimately satisfying. However, it didn't diminish the rest of the story for me at all!
Would I recommend To The Sea?
Absolutely. If my ramblings have even remotely sparked your interest, then I have no doubt you will enjoy it. Definitely worth reading!
Many thanks to the author via Pan Macmillan for a copy of To The Sea to read in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews check out my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Facebook
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www.twitter.com/bbb_mel
This book was delightful! What captured me the instant I saw it, is the beautiful cover. It really captures the essence of the story. I quickly became engrossed in the beautiful saga of this family, and its interesting and perhaps magical history.
A teenager named Zoe has been reported missing, most likely drowned off the coast of Tasmania. Tony is the lead investigator in her disappearance and realises right from the start that there is something strange about the family that lives in the beautiful house by the sea. While investigating Zoe's life, Tony is swept into the stories of the history of the family, from hundreds of years ago, up until now. And some of it is a bit beyond belief. Will he be able to find Zoe? Is she really dead, or is there something extraordinary happening?
The story is told from four perspectives. Tony, the investigator carries the weight of the plot in his search for the missing girl. Zoe's aunt Sadie and her parents John and Eva have the remaining narratives, and fill in the story with important history, leading certain things to come together, and others that create even more mystery.
The writing of this novel is absolutely beautiful. It didn't take me long at all to get engrossed in the story and just when I was getting into a nice groove, the tales within the story BLEW ME AWAY. I was utterly captivated by the stories of love, loss, betrayal and sacrifice. And the romance! There were a few romances weaved into the story and they were all sweet, one especially. However, with so many back stories I sometimes became confused with who was who and where I was in the story. I think this is my issue more than the writing though, I am a very fast reader, and I have baby brain! I'm not surprised I got a bit lost - I am surprised I can remember my name most days at the moment!
My only other criticism was the ending. It just didn't do it for me. It was good, and I got it, I really did! But personally I didn't find it ultimately satisfying. However, it didn't diminish the rest of the story for me at all!
Would I recommend To The Sea?
Absolutely. If my ramblings have even remotely sparked your interest, then I have no doubt you will enjoy it. Definitely worth reading!
Many thanks to the author via Pan Macmillan for a copy of To The Sea to read in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews check out my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
www.facebook.com/booksbabiesbeing
Or twitter
www.twitter.com/bbb_mel
March 21, 2017
This is an interesting debut novel - a mystery of a missing teenager with other worldly elements woven into it. Zoe, the 17 year old daughter has disappeared from her family beach house on the coast of Tasmania. Her large family of much older siblings and their families think she went snorkelling but no one saw her do this and no one can describe what she was wearing or remember when they last saw her. In fact DI Tony Vincent finds it difficult to find anyone who really knew her. Her mother, Eva seems to be in her own world and believes Zoe is still alive and will come back one day and tells Tony an extraordinary story connecting mothers and daughters through the generations.
While I mostly enjoyed it this novel, I did have some trouble keeping all the characters straight in this extended family of seventeen and remembering who was someone's mother or grandmother. The Irish/Icelandic mythology woven into the story was powerful with tales of love, denial and revenge. I was a bit disappointed in the ending and would have liked something more definite to round out the story. 3.5★
While I mostly enjoyed it this novel, I did have some trouble keeping all the characters straight in this extended family of seventeen and remembering who was someone's mother or grandmother. The Irish/Icelandic mythology woven into the story was powerful with tales of love, denial and revenge. I was a bit disappointed in the ending and would have liked something more definite to round out the story. 3.5★
September 6, 2017
‘On this planet, there are two worlds. The world of the land and the world of the sea.’
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent is called to a beach house in an idyllic location in the south of Tasmania. It’s summer, and seventeen-year-old Zöe Kennett has vanished. She went snorkelling, family members tell DI Vincent and his team, and she’s disappeared. A search is initiated: perhaps Zöe is alive, somewhere. Family members tell the police she’s a very strong swimmer.
The more questions DI Vincent asks, the stranger the situation appears. No one seems to have a clear recollection of when they last saw Zöe, and no one really seems to have a clear idea of who she was. It’s a large family: surely someone knows something? DI Vincent finds that while most members of the family expect the worst, Zöe’s mother seems to think that one day she might return.
There’s a story here, with many fabulous elements, spanning continents and centuries. It’s a story told through the novel by different storytellers each sharing the information they have, their understanding of the past. It’s a story I like, but just can’t accept. I try to keep fables separate from fact. But while the fabulous elements of the story make me uncomfortable, it’s not my beliefs that matter. In this novel, Ms Dibley provides a present day mystery underpinned by a fable which passes from one generation to the next but to only one person in each generation.
What concerns me most, in this story, isn’t the fable and its impact. It’s fiction: I can suspend disbelief. What concerns me is that non-one in the family seems to know Zöe very well. DI Vincent finds that there was much more to Zöe’s life than any family member seemed to know.
And the ending? I’m not entirely sure what I wanted, but I know I wanted something else, something more. I liked this novel, but it’s left me vaguely dissatisfied. I mostly enjoyed the fabulous elements, but have some difficulty with their connection to the present. I loved the setting, found DI Vincent an interesting character, and was concerned by the family’s reaction to Zöe’s disappearance.
This is Ms Dibley’s debut novel. I’ve added her name to my list of authors to watch.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent is called to a beach house in an idyllic location in the south of Tasmania. It’s summer, and seventeen-year-old Zöe Kennett has vanished. She went snorkelling, family members tell DI Vincent and his team, and she’s disappeared. A search is initiated: perhaps Zöe is alive, somewhere. Family members tell the police she’s a very strong swimmer.
The more questions DI Vincent asks, the stranger the situation appears. No one seems to have a clear recollection of when they last saw Zöe, and no one really seems to have a clear idea of who she was. It’s a large family: surely someone knows something? DI Vincent finds that while most members of the family expect the worst, Zöe’s mother seems to think that one day she might return.
There’s a story here, with many fabulous elements, spanning continents and centuries. It’s a story told through the novel by different storytellers each sharing the information they have, their understanding of the past. It’s a story I like, but just can’t accept. I try to keep fables separate from fact. But while the fabulous elements of the story make me uncomfortable, it’s not my beliefs that matter. In this novel, Ms Dibley provides a present day mystery underpinned by a fable which passes from one generation to the next but to only one person in each generation.
What concerns me most, in this story, isn’t the fable and its impact. It’s fiction: I can suspend disbelief. What concerns me is that non-one in the family seems to know Zöe very well. DI Vincent finds that there was much more to Zöe’s life than any family member seemed to know.
And the ending? I’m not entirely sure what I wanted, but I know I wanted something else, something more. I liked this novel, but it’s left me vaguely dissatisfied. I mostly enjoyed the fabulous elements, but have some difficulty with their connection to the present. I loved the setting, found DI Vincent an interesting character, and was concerned by the family’s reaction to Zöe’s disappearance.
This is Ms Dibley’s debut novel. I’ve added her name to my list of authors to watch.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
March 16, 2017
This book was a bit hard to classify as it wasn't really a crime although it did include police procedures. I am also not sure about the ending but a great debut novel.
February 6, 2017
Seventeen-year-old Zoe Kennett disappeared of the Tasmanian coast. Although presumed drowned by most of her family, her mother, Eva, believes Zoe is still alive and will return from the sea. Detective Inspector Tony Vincent arrives at this isolated by idyllic place to lead a search, but finds himself believing there's more to this disappearance than a crime or drowning. That old superstitions and myths may be more real than the story of a tragic drowning…
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It had all the ingredients to appeal directly to me: a Tasmanian setting, an intriguing mystery, a story that drew on Irish mythology and history, a focus on wild, windswept shores. It was also well rated on GoodReads, recommended by the woman who sold me the book and has a drop-dead gorgeous cover. I thought I was in for a great read.
Instead, To The Sea was almost completely frustrating to read. To begin with, there's simply too many characters. This book needed to be published with a family tree in the front matter because otherwise it's just impossible to keep track of who everyone is. I had to keep flipping back to work out the basic relationships. Oh, Tom isn't Eva's father, but her grandfather, and so on. The killer is that there simply didn't need to be that many characters – of the seventeen-member family, only five of them actually do anything significant to the story.
The story is also weighed down by exposition. The novel opens like a mystery novel, we're given the basic gist of things, we have a simple but tragic explanation complicated and made sinister… the book even structures itself around the days of Zoe's disappearance, and Day One is all focused on what's happening. Then we get to the second day, and suddenly, the novel is screeching to a halt to go over the background of Eva and John. You can expect any mystery to explore the past – but a good mystery doesn't just suddenly stop after just starting, particularly when the past explored is largely irrelevant to events. I found myself eye-rolling each time a little bit of movement in the plot would be met with more chapters of background exposition.
To the Sea is Christine Dibley's first book and it feels like it. The writing feels clumsy, sometimes focused on unnecessary details, awkwardly worded and I don't really know what that ending was about. Dibley does show promise – there is a lot of intriguing ideas here and the story she created was a compulsive read.
I just wished I'd liked it more.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It had all the ingredients to appeal directly to me: a Tasmanian setting, an intriguing mystery, a story that drew on Irish mythology and history, a focus on wild, windswept shores. It was also well rated on GoodReads, recommended by the woman who sold me the book and has a drop-dead gorgeous cover. I thought I was in for a great read.
Instead, To The Sea was almost completely frustrating to read. To begin with, there's simply too many characters. This book needed to be published with a family tree in the front matter because otherwise it's just impossible to keep track of who everyone is. I had to keep flipping back to work out the basic relationships. Oh, Tom isn't Eva's father, but her grandfather, and so on. The killer is that there simply didn't need to be that many characters – of the seventeen-member family, only five of them actually do anything significant to the story.
The story is also weighed down by exposition. The novel opens like a mystery novel, we're given the basic gist of things, we have a simple but tragic explanation complicated and made sinister… the book even structures itself around the days of Zoe's disappearance, and Day One is all focused on what's happening. Then we get to the second day, and suddenly, the novel is screeching to a halt to go over the background of Eva and John. You can expect any mystery to explore the past – but a good mystery doesn't just suddenly stop after just starting, particularly when the past explored is largely irrelevant to events. I found myself eye-rolling each time a little bit of movement in the plot would be met with more chapters of background exposition.
To the Sea is Christine Dibley's first book and it feels like it. The writing feels clumsy, sometimes focused on unnecessary details, awkwardly worded and I don't really know what that ending was about. Dibley does show promise – there is a lot of intriguing ideas here and the story she created was a compulsive read.
I just wished I'd liked it more.
October 27, 2017
Three and a half stars
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call concerning a missing seventeen year old girl. No-one in her family seems to have seen Zoe Kennett since the night before, when it was believed she was going snorkelling after dinner. So begins an investigation that leaves Tony puzzling his head, especially at the composure and acceptance of certain members of the family who don’t seem particularly worried. Others are convinced Zoe has drowned despite her being a strong swimmer. As the detective seeks to get to the bottom of the mystery, several family members give their views and a couple tell stories from the past that with selkies have the mythical quality of fables. Tony is left puzzled over what to believe. At times so is the reader.
To start with, this novel seemed like a beautifully written mystery set in the southern part of Tasmania. However as it goes along it incorporates the history of this family and its Irish roots. This is where in some respects the story ran into trouble a bit for me. There are just so many characters to keep track of, at times I got a little confused as to who was who. As well as the seventeen family member of several generations at the house, there are also the stories from the family’s history, both real and fanciful. At times I felt I could have done with less an overload of information.
Yet this atmospheric novel kept me reading. I liked Tony as a character but couldn’t say the same for some of the others who seemed self-absorbed. The setting was beautifully handled. The ending will not be to everyone’s liking, I suspect. It is not logical and definitely doesn’t tie things up neatly. And yet, thinking about it later, maybe it is the only way it could have ended. An intriguing read with a stunning cover, this is the author’s debut novel and it is an ambitious work. It will be interesting to see what she writes next.
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call concerning a missing seventeen year old girl. No-one in her family seems to have seen Zoe Kennett since the night before, when it was believed she was going snorkelling after dinner. So begins an investigation that leaves Tony puzzling his head, especially at the composure and acceptance of certain members of the family who don’t seem particularly worried. Others are convinced Zoe has drowned despite her being a strong swimmer. As the detective seeks to get to the bottom of the mystery, several family members give their views and a couple tell stories from the past that with selkies have the mythical quality of fables. Tony is left puzzled over what to believe. At times so is the reader.
To start with, this novel seemed like a beautifully written mystery set in the southern part of Tasmania. However as it goes along it incorporates the history of this family and its Irish roots. This is where in some respects the story ran into trouble a bit for me. There are just so many characters to keep track of, at times I got a little confused as to who was who. As well as the seventeen family member of several generations at the house, there are also the stories from the family’s history, both real and fanciful. At times I felt I could have done with less an overload of information.
Yet this atmospheric novel kept me reading. I liked Tony as a character but couldn’t say the same for some of the others who seemed self-absorbed. The setting was beautifully handled. The ending will not be to everyone’s liking, I suspect. It is not logical and definitely doesn’t tie things up neatly. And yet, thinking about it later, maybe it is the only way it could have ended. An intriguing read with a stunning cover, this is the author’s debut novel and it is an ambitious work. It will be interesting to see what she writes next.
February 12, 2017
The cover of this book is what drew me to it in the first place. I know the saying goes "Don't judge a book by its cover" but why not? It shows thought, imagination, creativity - it literally SHOWS you the book. So then why doesn't the saying "A picture paints a thousand words" applied to a book cover? I mean it is art after all and this book is, in so many words, a piece of art.
The first few pages lays the story out beautifully. Some might say, it was a bit confusing trying to find the link between what the story was about and what it was actually telling you. But I found it to flow quite easily and had no troubles following from one person to another. There's about 5 different people in this story that contribute their history, which I found fascinating - I don't know why people keep saying 4 because there was actually five: Tony (the detective), Tom (Zoe's Grandfather), Eva (Zoe's mother), Sadie (Zoe's older sister) and John (Zoe's father). Although some of it didn't really apply to the question of "where is Zoe and what happened to her" it gave an interesting insight into the people of that family - the one's that knew of the family secret - and how it all functioned.
Christine Dibley, is an fantastically imaginative writer, she entwined the historical fantasy genre with fiction and made it feel so real that it had me caught up in the story as if I were hearing it from the characters themselves. Tasmania was the perfecting setting for this book, as Tasmania itself is a very mysterious "island" with it's own secrets and myths. It made me miss, what once was, my home State and helped me remember the beauty if the place.
My favourite character (as probably is most people's) is Tony. He was at the start of the story and was there at the end, so you had biggest chance to get to know him through his investigations. You also got to "feel" what he was going through as certain information came up and the history of the women in the family came about. It was like pieces of the puzzle were slowly being put together - and that's what you want to happen. You don't want the picture of the puzzle to help you through it, you want to discover it for yourself and have that wonderful "ah-ha" moment when it finally clicks: this is where it's going, this is what the story is all about. And with Tony, you were along for that ride and you understood his determination to find Zoe.
I could go on and on about this book, but to read it for yourself is a much better idea. So to sum it all up: This is a fabulously magical and mysterious book. It had me hooked from the beginning and was extremely hard to put down. I only wish it never ended - or that maybe there was some sort of a sequel to show what happens in the following generations when things have changed?
Anyway...Fantastic book! Loved it!
The first few pages lays the story out beautifully. Some might say, it was a bit confusing trying to find the link between what the story was about and what it was actually telling you. But I found it to flow quite easily and had no troubles following from one person to another. There's about 5 different people in this story that contribute their history, which I found fascinating - I don't know why people keep saying 4 because there was actually five: Tony (the detective), Tom (Zoe's Grandfather), Eva (Zoe's mother), Sadie (Zoe's older sister) and John (Zoe's father). Although some of it didn't really apply to the question of "where is Zoe and what happened to her" it gave an interesting insight into the people of that family - the one's that knew of the family secret - and how it all functioned.
Christine Dibley, is an fantastically imaginative writer, she entwined the historical fantasy genre with fiction and made it feel so real that it had me caught up in the story as if I were hearing it from the characters themselves. Tasmania was the perfecting setting for this book, as Tasmania itself is a very mysterious "island" with it's own secrets and myths. It made me miss, what once was, my home State and helped me remember the beauty if the place.
My favourite character (as probably is most people's) is Tony. He was at the start of the story and was there at the end, so you had biggest chance to get to know him through his investigations. You also got to "feel" what he was going through as certain information came up and the history of the women in the family came about. It was like pieces of the puzzle were slowly being put together - and that's what you want to happen. You don't want the picture of the puzzle to help you through it, you want to discover it for yourself and have that wonderful "ah-ha" moment when it finally clicks: this is where it's going, this is what the story is all about. And with Tony, you were along for that ride and you understood his determination to find Zoe.
I could go on and on about this book, but to read it for yourself is a much better idea. So to sum it all up: This is a fabulously magical and mysterious book. It had me hooked from the beginning and was extremely hard to put down. I only wish it never ended - or that maybe there was some sort of a sequel to show what happens in the following generations when things have changed?
Anyway...Fantastic book! Loved it!
October 27, 2017
three and a half stars
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call concerning a missing seventeen year old girl. No-one in her family seems to have seen Zoe Kennett since the night before, when it was believed she was going snorkelling after dinner. So begins an investigation that leaves Tony puzzling his head, especially at the composure and acceptance of certain members of the family who don’t seem particularly worried. Others are convinced Zoe has drowned despite her being a strong swimmer. As the detective seeks to get to the bottom of the mystery, several family members give their views and a couple tell stories from the past that with selkies have the mythical quality of fables. Tony is left puzzled over what to believe. At times so is the reader.
To start with, this novel seemed like a beautifully written mystery set in the southern part of Tasmania. However as it goes along it incorporates the history of this family and its Irish roots. This is where in some respects the story ran into trouble a bit for me. There are just so many characters to keep track of, at times I got a little confused as to who was who. As well as the seventeen family member of several generations at the house, there are also the stories from the family’s history, both real and fanciful. At times I felt I could have done with less an overload of information.
Yet this atmospheric novel kept me reading. I liked Tony as a character but couldn’t say the same for some of the others who seemed self-absorbed. The setting was beautifully handled. The ending will not be to everyone’s liking, I suspect. It is not logical and definitely doesn’t tie things up neatly. And yet, thinking about it later, maybe it is the only way it could have ended. An intriguing read with a stunning cover, this is the author’s debut novel and it is an ambitious work. It will be interesting to see what she writes next.
Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call concerning a missing seventeen year old girl. No-one in her family seems to have seen Zoe Kennett since the night before, when it was believed she was going snorkelling after dinner. So begins an investigation that leaves Tony puzzling his head, especially at the composure and acceptance of certain members of the family who don’t seem particularly worried. Others are convinced Zoe has drowned despite her being a strong swimmer. As the detective seeks to get to the bottom of the mystery, several family members give their views and a couple tell stories from the past that with selkies have the mythical quality of fables. Tony is left puzzled over what to believe. At times so is the reader.
To start with, this novel seemed like a beautifully written mystery set in the southern part of Tasmania. However as it goes along it incorporates the history of this family and its Irish roots. This is where in some respects the story ran into trouble a bit for me. There are just so many characters to keep track of, at times I got a little confused as to who was who. As well as the seventeen family member of several generations at the house, there are also the stories from the family’s history, both real and fanciful. At times I felt I could have done with less an overload of information.
Yet this atmospheric novel kept me reading. I liked Tony as a character but couldn’t say the same for some of the others who seemed self-absorbed. The setting was beautifully handled. The ending will not be to everyone’s liking, I suspect. It is not logical and definitely doesn’t tie things up neatly. And yet, thinking about it later, maybe it is the only way it could have ended. An intriguing read with a stunning cover, this is the author’s debut novel and it is an ambitious work. It will be interesting to see what she writes next.
April 16, 2017
This debut novel by Tasmanian author Christine Dibley unfolds at a mixed pace and through a number of different voices.
From the backcover blurb I’d envisaged Zoe’s family offering up various versions of her disappearance which isn’t the case. Everyone is upset, but surprisingly accepting of what’s happened… regretful, but ready to move on. Zoe’s (significantly older siblings) and father expect the worst, but her mother – Eva – believes Zoe to be safe and seems to take solace in the fact she may one day return.
I really liked the time we spend with Tony – with whom I obviously connected – given I think of him as Tony rather than DI Vincent. He’s a complex and interesting lead and we’re offered some insight into his personal life and management style as well as his rise through the ranks to DI while still (only) in his mid 20s.
And then we’re privy to the tales of Eva and her mother, grandmother, great grandmother and so forth, and it’s through these stories however, that Dibley also offers additional layers of context and grounds we readers a little… through references to Irish and Australian history.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this debut novel by Dibley: our lead character Tony who’s enchanted by the enigma that is the schoolgirl Zoe; and the impact our own ‘stories’ (our histories and beliefs) have on us AND our own mental health. I didn’t dislike the fantasy element, though would have been more at home with straight crime fiction. And, though I was glad it eventually came, I probably would have liked some analysis of the family’s reaction to Zoe’s disappearance earlier in the novel.
3.5 stars
Read the full review on my website: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
From the backcover blurb I’d envisaged Zoe’s family offering up various versions of her disappearance which isn’t the case. Everyone is upset, but surprisingly accepting of what’s happened… regretful, but ready to move on. Zoe’s (significantly older siblings) and father expect the worst, but her mother – Eva – believes Zoe to be safe and seems to take solace in the fact she may one day return.
I really liked the time we spend with Tony – with whom I obviously connected – given I think of him as Tony rather than DI Vincent. He’s a complex and interesting lead and we’re offered some insight into his personal life and management style as well as his rise through the ranks to DI while still (only) in his mid 20s.
And then we’re privy to the tales of Eva and her mother, grandmother, great grandmother and so forth, and it’s through these stories however, that Dibley also offers additional layers of context and grounds we readers a little… through references to Irish and Australian history.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this debut novel by Dibley: our lead character Tony who’s enchanted by the enigma that is the schoolgirl Zoe; and the impact our own ‘stories’ (our histories and beliefs) have on us AND our own mental health. I didn’t dislike the fantasy element, though would have been more at home with straight crime fiction. And, though I was glad it eventually came, I probably would have liked some analysis of the family’s reaction to Zoe’s disappearance earlier in the novel.
3.5 stars
Read the full review on my website: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
February 17, 2017
One of the most incredible novels I've read in years. Captivating and mesmerizing. I couldn't put it down. Also for the record, I think Zoe's alive.
October 31, 2017
I found this book to be an odd mix which didn't always work for me.
The sections relating to the police investigation were strong. Tony was an interesting character and his interactions with his team were my favourite parts of the book. However, the more mystical aspects of the book didn't appeal to me as much, and didn't seem to gel with the sections written from Tony's perspective.
In general, I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary detail, and it was hard to keep track of the large number of characters. I also struggled to relate to the women at the centre of the story - Eva in particular seemed selfish and distant with her older children.
While I would have preferred a more definite ending, I felt that the way the book ended was in keeping with the rest of the story.
The sections relating to the police investigation were strong. Tony was an interesting character and his interactions with his team were my favourite parts of the book. However, the more mystical aspects of the book didn't appeal to me as much, and didn't seem to gel with the sections written from Tony's perspective.
In general, I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary detail, and it was hard to keep track of the large number of characters. I also struggled to relate to the women at the centre of the story - Eva in particular seemed selfish and distant with her older children.
While I would have preferred a more definite ending, I felt that the way the book ended was in keeping with the rest of the story.
July 15, 2018
I really liked this initially, then felt the story lost momentum quite early on, but then picked up again about halfway through.
Despite the fact that there was an element of magical realism, I felt that the story was quite believable within its boundaries.
I loved the Tasmanian and, to a lesser degree, Irish settings. The cover is lovely - how I'd love to live in a house with a view like that!!
It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters - a family tree would have been very helpful to keep the generations straight.
But an interesting read overall.
Despite the fact that there was an element of magical realism, I felt that the story was quite believable within its boundaries.
I loved the Tasmanian and, to a lesser degree, Irish settings. The cover is lovely - how I'd love to live in a house with a view like that!!
It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters - a family tree would have been very helpful to keep the generations straight.
But an interesting read overall.
February 8, 2017
This has to be one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve never been to Tasmania but it’s long been on my list of places I want to visit. Given it’s proximity to me in here in Victoria it’s also probably the most likely place on that list that I will actually visit one day. I read few books set here but it has so much potential and that potential has been well tapped here.
On a summer day young DI Tony Vincent gets a call to investigate the disappearance of a teenager, believed possibly drowned off the south Tasmanian coast. When he arrives there, he finds things very confusing. There are a large number of people staying at the house for the holidays but with the exception of perhaps the missing girl’s mother, no one else seems either a) overly concerned or b) stricken with grief at the thought of their missing sister/cousin/etc. The more DI Vincent digs into this situation, the stranger it becomes. Although one must always respect the danger of the sea, by all reports the missing girl, Zoe is an exceptional swimmer. And the conditions on the day she vanished were calm. No one actually saw her go into the water and when he calls out the divers, they’re very convinced that if something did happen to Zoe, they can ascertain the location very easily. Numerous searches bring more questions than answers….and no body.
The story is told by four people: Tony as he investigates, Zoe’s older sister, her father and her mother. Tony is warned that Zoe’s mother Eva is “fragile” or possibly unwell. Her reality may not be the reality Tony is used to. But as the days tick by and there’s no sign of Zoe, Tony begins to hear Eva’s story and in that, the story of Zoe.
The stories spun in this book are so intricate and involved and it’s utterly impossible not to be drawn into them. Eva tells the story of the women in her family going back many generations, a tale of myth and legend and strange happenings. It’s not something that I haven’t read before but this seemed to put a new and fresh kind of spin on it, finding a way to incorporate it into a contemporary world in a unique way. I don’t think it’s easy to blend this sort of mythical element into a modern day setting but Christine Dibley accomplishes this so well. The way in which the story slowly unfolds kind of alongside Tony’s investigation makes it feel quite a natural evolution.
There is a lot of blurring of the lines in this book as Tony’s ideas of what is fact and what is fiction slowly evolves as time moves on and there’s still no sign of Zoe. He’s told some impossible-to-believe things by people who swear they are telling the truth and saw it with their own eyes. There’s no sign of Zoe, alive or her body, where the currents would’ve taken her if she’d truly gotten into trouble where it was that she was believed to go missing. Despite the fact that no one saw her go down to the beach, most of her family continues to believe that she got into trouble in the bay on a quiet night and drowned. I tend to think along the same lines as Tony so my evolution almost ran alongside of his as I got deeper into the story and became more and more invested in the unusual tale of Zoe and Eva’s female lineage. In stark contrast, Zoe’s older sister is not a believer in any of the stories and seems the most convinced of all that her sister has drowned.
The writing is beautiful and evocative. The setting of the Tasmanian coast was stunning and the description of the family’s beachside mansion made me feel like I was there. But it was more than that, the whole book was able to spin a mood, a real atmosphere of mystery and intrigue. That little bit of magic in a way, that made me want to be involved with this family. Despite the fantastical element they felt very real, with the normal quirks and foibles that any family has. Discord, separation, jealousy but also love. A large age gap between Zoe and her siblings meant that none of them really seemed to know her very well at all, to the point where Tony questions everything he’s every been told since he arrived at the house. I really enjoyed the character of Tony and his approach to the investigation. He seems very young to be a DI but he’s very methodical and despite his easy going demeanor he isn’t easily intimidated or put off by people who don’t want to answer his questions or by his own superior.
I really really enjoyed this book….from the very first page. I think I read it in almost a single sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. This is a remarkable debut and I really look forward to Christine Dibley’s next book.
On a summer day young DI Tony Vincent gets a call to investigate the disappearance of a teenager, believed possibly drowned off the south Tasmanian coast. When he arrives there, he finds things very confusing. There are a large number of people staying at the house for the holidays but with the exception of perhaps the missing girl’s mother, no one else seems either a) overly concerned or b) stricken with grief at the thought of their missing sister/cousin/etc. The more DI Vincent digs into this situation, the stranger it becomes. Although one must always respect the danger of the sea, by all reports the missing girl, Zoe is an exceptional swimmer. And the conditions on the day she vanished were calm. No one actually saw her go into the water and when he calls out the divers, they’re very convinced that if something did happen to Zoe, they can ascertain the location very easily. Numerous searches bring more questions than answers….and no body.
The story is told by four people: Tony as he investigates, Zoe’s older sister, her father and her mother. Tony is warned that Zoe’s mother Eva is “fragile” or possibly unwell. Her reality may not be the reality Tony is used to. But as the days tick by and there’s no sign of Zoe, Tony begins to hear Eva’s story and in that, the story of Zoe.
The stories spun in this book are so intricate and involved and it’s utterly impossible not to be drawn into them. Eva tells the story of the women in her family going back many generations, a tale of myth and legend and strange happenings. It’s not something that I haven’t read before but this seemed to put a new and fresh kind of spin on it, finding a way to incorporate it into a contemporary world in a unique way. I don’t think it’s easy to blend this sort of mythical element into a modern day setting but Christine Dibley accomplishes this so well. The way in which the story slowly unfolds kind of alongside Tony’s investigation makes it feel quite a natural evolution.
There is a lot of blurring of the lines in this book as Tony’s ideas of what is fact and what is fiction slowly evolves as time moves on and there’s still no sign of Zoe. He’s told some impossible-to-believe things by people who swear they are telling the truth and saw it with their own eyes. There’s no sign of Zoe, alive or her body, where the currents would’ve taken her if she’d truly gotten into trouble where it was that she was believed to go missing. Despite the fact that no one saw her go down to the beach, most of her family continues to believe that she got into trouble in the bay on a quiet night and drowned. I tend to think along the same lines as Tony so my evolution almost ran alongside of his as I got deeper into the story and became more and more invested in the unusual tale of Zoe and Eva’s female lineage. In stark contrast, Zoe’s older sister is not a believer in any of the stories and seems the most convinced of all that her sister has drowned.
The writing is beautiful and evocative. The setting of the Tasmanian coast was stunning and the description of the family’s beachside mansion made me feel like I was there. But it was more than that, the whole book was able to spin a mood, a real atmosphere of mystery and intrigue. That little bit of magic in a way, that made me want to be involved with this family. Despite the fantastical element they felt very real, with the normal quirks and foibles that any family has. Discord, separation, jealousy but also love. A large age gap between Zoe and her siblings meant that none of them really seemed to know her very well at all, to the point where Tony questions everything he’s every been told since he arrived at the house. I really enjoyed the character of Tony and his approach to the investigation. He seems very young to be a DI but he’s very methodical and despite his easy going demeanor he isn’t easily intimidated or put off by people who don’t want to answer his questions or by his own superior.
I really really enjoyed this book….from the very first page. I think I read it in almost a single sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. This is a remarkable debut and I really look forward to Christine Dibley’s next book.
February 4, 2017
This delightful novel set in Tasmania was a beautifully written innovative story:
In the summer just before New Year, Detective Inspector Tony Vincent gets a call to a beautiful old beach house where, surrounded by her well to do family, one evening nineteen year old Zoe has gone snorkeling and drowned.
But did she? There is no body, no one saw her go in, she told no one she was going… Why are almost all her family so sure she drowned and why is her fragile, detached mother Eva so sure she didn’t?
The first part of the story is the elaborate, excellently told story of the DI as he starts following leads and getting a handle on the case. This section is very distinctively Tasmanian but understated, there is no ocker nor clichés but the writing catches the area very nicely and sets the scene intelligently. The characters are also very well done, Zoe’s family especially come across as real individuals who swirl around in the complicated eddies that extended families so often do, based on shared memories and frustrations of growing up.
Then the story gets strange; the mythic (or is it magic realism?) element creeps in as we discover just why Zoe’s mother Eve is so sure that Zoe cannot be harmed by the sea. There is little I can tell that would not be a spoiler here.
Those are the positives to the book which overall I thoroughly enjoyed, however there were some parts that did not work as well for me as other: Those parts occurred later in the book, where we start to hear the backstories, going back hundreds of years, of the line of extraordinary (mythic or deluded?), Irish women from whom Zoe and Eva are descended. The first story, told by Eva, enthralled me but we then went almost directly into other backstories, told by other voices and in the course of it the original plot got a bit lost. It seemed to me that the different voices needed to be integrated more into the modern-day story, they felt a little too much to take in all in a chunk and the focus on the search for Zoe got lost in the back story for a while.
Despite this I very much enjoyed this book. The ending also satisfied me it seemed consistent with all that had previously happened, the characters and it did not over-explain. I suppose one could call it a bit of a cliffhanger, in the best possible way. This ending may not suit readers who want everything presented to them, spoon-fed at the end of a story. It will suit readers who like to preserve some mystery and a numinous quality, as it ending with a feeling of possibilities rather than certainty.
In the summer just before New Year, Detective Inspector Tony Vincent gets a call to a beautiful old beach house where, surrounded by her well to do family, one evening nineteen year old Zoe has gone snorkeling and drowned.
But did she? There is no body, no one saw her go in, she told no one she was going… Why are almost all her family so sure she drowned and why is her fragile, detached mother Eva so sure she didn’t?
The first part of the story is the elaborate, excellently told story of the DI as he starts following leads and getting a handle on the case. This section is very distinctively Tasmanian but understated, there is no ocker nor clichés but the writing catches the area very nicely and sets the scene intelligently. The characters are also very well done, Zoe’s family especially come across as real individuals who swirl around in the complicated eddies that extended families so often do, based on shared memories and frustrations of growing up.
Then the story gets strange; the mythic (or is it magic realism?) element creeps in as we discover just why Zoe’s mother Eve is so sure that Zoe cannot be harmed by the sea. There is little I can tell that would not be a spoiler here.
Those are the positives to the book which overall I thoroughly enjoyed, however there were some parts that did not work as well for me as other: Those parts occurred later in the book, where we start to hear the backstories, going back hundreds of years, of the line of extraordinary (mythic or deluded?), Irish women from whom Zoe and Eva are descended. The first story, told by Eva, enthralled me but we then went almost directly into other backstories, told by other voices and in the course of it the original plot got a bit lost. It seemed to me that the different voices needed to be integrated more into the modern-day story, they felt a little too much to take in all in a chunk and the focus on the search for Zoe got lost in the back story for a while.
Despite this I very much enjoyed this book. The ending also satisfied me it seemed consistent with all that had previously happened, the characters and it did not over-explain. I suppose one could call it a bit of a cliffhanger, in the best possible way. This ending may not suit readers who want everything presented to them, spoon-fed at the end of a story. It will suit readers who like to preserve some mystery and a numinous quality, as it ending with a feeling of possibilities rather than certainty.
January 14, 2018
Well written and utterly unique novel. Full review coming soon!
April 20, 2018
Best book I've read in the last year. A mesmerising tale. Amazing first novel.
August 13, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this enchanting story, which allowed my childlike imagination to run wild. I thought the imagery was spectacular, the characters were earthy and warm, the tales of loss and love were beautiful... oh and the magic- I got completely swept up in it all.
A must read for any daughter, mother, or believer.
A must read for any daughter, mother, or believer.
February 6, 2017
A gorgeous contemporary novel set in Tasmania, To the Sea was the perfect holiday read for me. Told in multiple points of view over the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, it conveys a beautiful story spanning generations.
We meet the Kennett family on the day they discover that Zoe -- beautiful, daring, and fearless Zoe -- is missing, most likely drowned within sight of their ancestral coastal home. Though we meet them first without him, it's detective Inspector Anthony Vincent who brings us closer to this grieving family. Tony stood apart for me because he's so different from most other crime novel leads I've read. He's a dedicated detective, a good son, and a genuinely nice soul to be around. He cares.
And perhaps he cares too much about the beautiful missing teenager, whose fate enraptures him from the moment he sees her smiling photograph. Is it cliched? Absolutely. But it was interesting to see him slide down that slippery slope until he was almost obsessed with a woman he'd never met.
The real draw of To the Sea, for me anyway, is the selkie mythology that's woven throughout its pages. There's nothing new about the mythology but I loved the way it was used. As the author says in her acknowledgements, this is a book about mothers and their daughters; generations of women who bear the weight of unimaginable sacrifice. But this tale about women and their mysteries is conveyed predominantly through the eyes of outsiders. Aside from Eva, none of the narrators are part of the long line of women with connections to a mysterious and magical past. Only one of the other narrators is female. Instead, the mythology and history are conveyed by men who, in their own ways, fell violently in love with these otherworldly women.
The men form the only really problematic part of the story for me. They were men who fell in love with ideas and, as a whole, couldn't deal with the reality. Which is ironic because they describe their women as having a weak grip on reality. The men are selfish, even when they're trying their hardest not to be, and I found few redeeming qualities in any of them. This is not a fault of the book but rather an artefact of my discomfort in reading about situations of domestic inequality. I know we can wave our hands and say it was all normal for the time, and perhaps it was, but reading about physically, mentally and emotionally abusive men, marital rape, and other things that I consider horrific just isn't my cup of tea.
I knew there wasn't going to be a fantastical element to this book, not in the way I'm used to anyway, but I'd forgotten how unsatisfying it can be to read literary fiction. I enjoyed the experience -- the pacing and multiple points of view meant that I could read the novel easily during the chaotic holiday period -- but the ending was distinctly ... anticlimactic.
I loved the Tasmanian setting! The author brought it to life vividly and it was wonderful reading a holiday story with beaches and thongs and surfing instead of snow.
To the Sea mixes elements of literary and crime fiction with magical realism to create an intriguing tale of sacrifice and mystery.
This review was originally posted on Speculating on SpecFic
We meet the Kennett family on the day they discover that Zoe -- beautiful, daring, and fearless Zoe -- is missing, most likely drowned within sight of their ancestral coastal home. Though we meet them first without him, it's detective Inspector Anthony Vincent who brings us closer to this grieving family. Tony stood apart for me because he's so different from most other crime novel leads I've read. He's a dedicated detective, a good son, and a genuinely nice soul to be around. He cares.
And perhaps he cares too much about the beautiful missing teenager, whose fate enraptures him from the moment he sees her smiling photograph. Is it cliched? Absolutely. But it was interesting to see him slide down that slippery slope until he was almost obsessed with a woman he'd never met.
The real draw of To the Sea, for me anyway, is the selkie mythology that's woven throughout its pages. There's nothing new about the mythology but I loved the way it was used. As the author says in her acknowledgements, this is a book about mothers and their daughters; generations of women who bear the weight of unimaginable sacrifice. But this tale about women and their mysteries is conveyed predominantly through the eyes of outsiders. Aside from Eva, none of the narrators are part of the long line of women with connections to a mysterious and magical past. Only one of the other narrators is female. Instead, the mythology and history are conveyed by men who, in their own ways, fell violently in love with these otherworldly women.
The men form the only really problematic part of the story for me. They were men who fell in love with ideas and, as a whole, couldn't deal with the reality. Which is ironic because they describe their women as having a weak grip on reality. The men are selfish, even when they're trying their hardest not to be, and I found few redeeming qualities in any of them. This is not a fault of the book but rather an artefact of my discomfort in reading about situations of domestic inequality. I know we can wave our hands and say it was all normal for the time, and perhaps it was, but reading about physically, mentally and emotionally abusive men, marital rape, and other things that I consider horrific just isn't my cup of tea.
I knew there wasn't going to be a fantastical element to this book, not in the way I'm used to anyway, but I'd forgotten how unsatisfying it can be to read literary fiction. I enjoyed the experience -- the pacing and multiple points of view meant that I could read the novel easily during the chaotic holiday period -- but the ending was distinctly ... anticlimactic.
I loved the Tasmanian setting! The author brought it to life vividly and it was wonderful reading a holiday story with beaches and thongs and surfing instead of snow.
To the Sea mixes elements of literary and crime fiction with magical realism to create an intriguing tale of sacrifice and mystery.
This review was originally posted on Speculating on SpecFic
January 17, 2017
Review posted on Tea in the Treetops in January 2017:
Set on the beautiful and wild Tasmanian coastline, To The Sea is the magical story of a missing teenager. Zoe Kennett disappears from her family’s home next to calm waters, and it’s DI Tony Vincent’s job to organise the search for her body. A young girl couldn’t possibly have survived in the cold southern waters overnight and most of the next day, could she?
But there is a lot more to Zoe’s story, and as the days go by and no body is recovered, the mystery is slowly unravelled. We gradually learn the dark secrets of Zoe’s family, passed down from mother to daughter, stretching back to Mayo, Ireland, and the connection of a girl called Ornice to the ocean.
To The Sea is beautifully written, evoking the Aussie summer (yes, they still have summer down in Tassie) and the raw power of the oceans, both the Southern and Atlantic. It is told through several flashbacks and storytelling from members of Zoe’s family, including her mother and father, her siblings, and her grandfather. Tony’s investigations into the disappearance ties it all to the modern day. The story is full of unreliable narrators and secrets are hinted at that aren’t revealed until much later – the perfect way to spin a great mystery.
This is Aussie author Christine Dibley’s first book, and I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next tale. She has a musical way with words, and made me want to visit Tasmania more than I already do.
If you’re in Hobart this weekend and would like to meet Christine Dibley, she’ll be launching To The Sea at Fullers Hobart, on Collins St at 2pm on January 21. See the Fullers website for more information.
I received a copy of this book from Pan Macmillan Australia as part of a blog tour. Thanks!
Set on the beautiful and wild Tasmanian coastline, To The Sea is the magical story of a missing teenager. Zoe Kennett disappears from her family’s home next to calm waters, and it’s DI Tony Vincent’s job to organise the search for her body. A young girl couldn’t possibly have survived in the cold southern waters overnight and most of the next day, could she?
But there is a lot more to Zoe’s story, and as the days go by and no body is recovered, the mystery is slowly unravelled. We gradually learn the dark secrets of Zoe’s family, passed down from mother to daughter, stretching back to Mayo, Ireland, and the connection of a girl called Ornice to the ocean.
To The Sea is beautifully written, evoking the Aussie summer (yes, they still have summer down in Tassie) and the raw power of the oceans, both the Southern and Atlantic. It is told through several flashbacks and storytelling from members of Zoe’s family, including her mother and father, her siblings, and her grandfather. Tony’s investigations into the disappearance ties it all to the modern day. The story is full of unreliable narrators and secrets are hinted at that aren’t revealed until much later – the perfect way to spin a great mystery.
This is Aussie author Christine Dibley’s first book, and I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next tale. She has a musical way with words, and made me want to visit Tasmania more than I already do.
If you’re in Hobart this weekend and would like to meet Christine Dibley, she’ll be launching To The Sea at Fullers Hobart, on Collins St at 2pm on January 21. See the Fullers website for more information.
I received a copy of this book from Pan Macmillan Australia as part of a blog tour. Thanks!
February 17, 2017
When a Tasmanian teenager goes missing at her family's beach house detective Tony Vincent is determined to find out what happened to her. As he investigates her disappearance, he discovers Zoe Kennett is not like most teenage girls and her family is stranger than most. With Zoe's mother insistent her daughter is still alive because of the stories her ancestors have passed down, Tony has to separate fact from fiction to find out what has happened to Zoe.
To the Sea is a book which stands out for many reasons. Part police procedural, part folk story, To the Sea combines a modern Australian mystery with Irish legend. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, this book interweaves the stories of four generations of a family and the legends of their ancestors.
The characters in this novel are fascinating and wonderfully flawed. Zoe's family didn't notice when she disappeared and aren't overly concerned by the fact that she's missing. When the police are called in, many of the family treat detective Tony's presence as an inconvenience. As we get to know the different characters and their relationships with their family, we get to see how their histories made them the people they are at Zoe's disappearance. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was how authentically each of the characters came across. The author has written these characters in such a way they they may not be entirely likeable or endearing but they felt like real people complete with their imperfections and own baggage. After finishing the book I felt like I knew these people and where they had come from. That is a very hard thing to do as an author, to give such a clear picture into their lives in less than 450 pages, but Dibley succeeded brilliantly.
There are times throughout the novel where it becomes unclear what is real with the lines between myth and reality blurring. Not knowing just how far into the realm of fantasy the story is going to take readers was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat.
And the setting is gorgeous. Described so vividly there were times I felt I could have been there at the Kennett's family home on the Tasmanian coast. This is definitely a book which evokes feelings of summer along and is quintessentially Australian with Irish twist.
Spanning generations and continents, To the Sea is a beautifully told story. Zoe's mysterious disappearance keeps a thread of suspense over the course of the novel as Tony uncovers her family's secrets. Christine Dibley's debut novel is an engaging read and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
To the Sea is a book which stands out for many reasons. Part police procedural, part folk story, To the Sea combines a modern Australian mystery with Irish legend. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, this book interweaves the stories of four generations of a family and the legends of their ancestors.
The characters in this novel are fascinating and wonderfully flawed. Zoe's family didn't notice when she disappeared and aren't overly concerned by the fact that she's missing. When the police are called in, many of the family treat detective Tony's presence as an inconvenience. As we get to know the different characters and their relationships with their family, we get to see how their histories made them the people they are at Zoe's disappearance. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was how authentically each of the characters came across. The author has written these characters in such a way they they may not be entirely likeable or endearing but they felt like real people complete with their imperfections and own baggage. After finishing the book I felt like I knew these people and where they had come from. That is a very hard thing to do as an author, to give such a clear picture into their lives in less than 450 pages, but Dibley succeeded brilliantly.
There are times throughout the novel where it becomes unclear what is real with the lines between myth and reality blurring. Not knowing just how far into the realm of fantasy the story is going to take readers was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat.
And the setting is gorgeous. Described so vividly there were times I felt I could have been there at the Kennett's family home on the Tasmanian coast. This is definitely a book which evokes feelings of summer along and is quintessentially Australian with Irish twist.
Spanning generations and continents, To the Sea is a beautifully told story. Zoe's mysterious disappearance keeps a thread of suspense over the course of the novel as Tony uncovers her family's secrets. Christine Dibley's debut novel is an engaging read and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
December 2, 2017
Curious work, well written with interesting characterisations, and a sometimes disconcerting juxtaposition of mythological expository passages, stories of family heritage with police procedural. There are strong matrilineal links, supernatural really, between the generations. All of which comes to light as the back story to the disappearance of Zoe, the youngest of five siblings, during Christmas holidays at the ancestral home in Tasmania. The mystery is never really solved, and I could live with that, but the sudden regret by the surviving family over their failure to really know who Zoe was, seems forced, a justification of how she could just disappear, and that the investigating detective should find himself disturbingly drawn to a woman he has never met ..... a quick, pleasant enough read
October 11, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I think is best classified as 'Mystery'. The characters were believable and interesting, the setting superb and the history and stories interwoven throughout were delightful.
I had no problem distinguishing between the different characters after the first few chapters, but I did find myself flicking back to the page explaining how they were connected a few times early on.
As with other reviewers, I also felt disappointed in the lack of resolution in the end. I was totally hooked (to the point of being distracted at work wondering what could have happened to Zoe!) but then the ending didn't feel complete. I would have liked a less curious ending and a more definite explanation.
I had no problem distinguishing between the different characters after the first few chapters, but I did find myself flicking back to the page explaining how they were connected a few times early on.
As with other reviewers, I also felt disappointed in the lack of resolution in the end. I was totally hooked (to the point of being distracted at work wondering what could have happened to Zoe!) but then the ending didn't feel complete. I would have liked a less curious ending and a more definite explanation.
June 20, 2017
A stunning debut from this very talented Aussie author. The summary blurb provides a synopsis of the story. But it is also all about the atmospherics. Stories within stories bound together with ribbons of magic realism. Great tales of love, loss, family and impossible choices. As moody and wild as the Tasmanian and Irish settings. Full of humanity in exposing the lengths we go to, and the price we pay, for love. Would have been five stars if the ending had been more satisfying but the rest was so wonderful that it could only be one star-full of quibble. Christine Dibley, so pleased you've arrived. Can't wait for your next one.
July 10, 2017
A debut Australian author who’s written a story about a teenage girl gone missing, presumed drowned in Tasmania. But there are some strange elements - such as Zoe missing for 24 hours before her disappearance is reported by her family (with siblings being much, much older than her) and the fact witnesses describe her swimming in seemingly impossible places out in the sea and being able to dive from impossible heights. The story is told from multiple points of view and changes from a mystery/crime novel to a novel about family history, mothers and daughters and Irish folklore. An enjoyable story.
December 18, 2018
I mostly loved this book. I liked that it was set in Tasmania, I enjoyed the interweaving of mythology with present-day life and thought it worked. I even coped with the plethora of characters. There were possibly too many - I didn't have trouble keeping track of them, but there didn't seem much point in introducing so many characters to the story, when most of them had no part to play, other than being part of the background. There were some side stories that would be good to see developed, maybe in another book. Sadie's story was pretty interesting.
For me, what really let the book down was the ending. I thought it was weak and didn't really make sense.
For me, what really let the book down was the ending. I thought it was weak and didn't really make sense.
March 25, 2017
This book was in parts frustrating and gripping. On a clear calm Summer day Detective Tony Vincent and his team travel to 'Rosetta' a huge house in southern Tasmania, in response to a missing persons call. Zoe hasn't been seen for more than 24 hours and some members of her family are concerned. Her mother is not. The family believe she went snorkelling. During the five days Tony and his team search for her evidence seams to appear that no body, including her much older siblings, knows Zoe at all. Expert opinion says she must be dead and so they are looking for a body. Throughout the investigation we are taken to Ireland, the land of myth and revolution as protagonists tell their story, but is this helping find Zoe?
May 10, 2017
Enjoyed this first book by Australian author Christine Dibley. Set in Tasmania, it brings together a modern missing person story with celtic stories passed down through the maternal life. Very much about mothers and daughters, ancestry and influence, in the context of the search for Zoe who is missing, it also weaves together multiple points of view to tell a rich narrative of family and how well we really know each other and our histories. A great debut read and look forward to reading more from Christine.
July 14, 2017
Loved it. The Modern world woven with the Irish myths of the past. Detective Inspector Tony Vincent unable to give up the search for a beautiful girl gone missing and presumed drowned. Her mother eventually tells a strange tale of daughters through the generations handed special gifts that set them apart from others. How can he give it any credence but he has no proof that she has actually drowned. Maybe there is something in the mother's belief that she will return when the time is right.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2017
I read this as a crime fiction, and it is in one sense Crime. However it is also mythological, and it is a family relations story and family saga. I did find it an interesting read, the point view changed, from chapters. A 17 year old girl disappears at sea, and the family takes 24 hours to report her missing. this has happened over the Christmas New Year period.
The ending really really annoyed me.
If you want a gentle read, this is a good read, but I will not be rereading this book.
The ending really really annoyed me.
If you want a gentle read, this is a good read, but I will not be rereading this book.
August 3, 2018
Read for book club. It wasn't terrible, but it overused dialogue for exposition, and there are far too many characters and a lot of superfluous scenes and information. The kernel of the idea is good (not my usual taste but I understand the appeal); however the execution is not quite 'there'. The author writes well overall, but it needed a lot more crafting and editing. Very easy to read.
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